


Falling Into You

by LazyDaizy



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Romance, Roommates, nothing but fluffy fluffiness, relationship, sort of semi slow burn, virgins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-19 07:30:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 70,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11892936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyDaizy/pseuds/LazyDaizy
Summary: This is an AU.  Jughead and Betty have never dated and after he moved to Southside High, they eventually lost touch.Jughead Jones moved to New York when he was 18.  Five years later, Betty Cooper moves to New York as well.  She is tired of Riverdale and decides to pursue a career in journalism and enrolls at NYU to study it for a year and sharpen her skills.  She doesn't have the means to stay on campus and Archie, who still keeps in contact with Jughead, sets it up for her to be his roommate because he needs someone to help with his rent costs.  Both are reluctant as they don't really know each other anymore but decide to go ahead and become roommates anyway.This will be pure falling in love fluff and both Jughead and Betty are virgins, cause frankly, older virgins are lacking in this fandom :) If there happens to be angst, it will be mild.





	1. Something Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is a bit of a mess as I can't seem to switch gears that easily from my last fic and a bit shorter than what I usually post lol I hope you like it and I really hope I don't disappoint. The beginnings of fics are always the hardest for me.

Betty Cooper, who always had it together, or so she made everyone think, was completely lost. She had arrived in New York City, excited for her adventure and now she stood on a crowded street, completely and hopelessly lost. She had given the cab driver the address and after driving for a while, he had pulled over, demanded his money, threw her bags on the street and had driven off. By the time she realized she was nowhere near where she was supposed to be, he had long driven off.

She bit her lip, fighting tears, having given up trying to get someone to help her. Most just shuffled past her and the ones that did stop didn’t know the address she showed them. Getting a cab was impossible as she was neither loud nor pushy enough to compete with everyone else trying to get one.

She had decided, after spending 5 years after graduation getting nowhere in Riverdale, to enrol to study journalism at NYU and just get out of the town that held nothing for her. She wished now that she hadn’t wasted all that time and had done it right away after school, but she had been too afraid to venture out and now at almost 23, she decided it was now or never. She couldn’t afford to stay on campus and after trying to figure out where to live; Archie had stepped in and helped. 

He was still in contact with Jughead Jones, who had left Riverdale when he turned 18 and had moved to New York and he happened to need a new roommate since his had left a month prior. At first Betty had refused, not wanting to live with a guy she barely remembered or to live with a guy at all. He had moved to Southside high when he was 16 and they had lost touch and she hadn’t seen him in years.

When no other affordable options became available, she had reluctantly agreed. She hadn’t spoken to him, letting Archie take care of all the details. He had told her that Jughead had been a little reluctant as well, but had eventually agreed because the other people who wanted the room weren’t satisfactory to him and he really needed help with the rent.

Now, here she stood, alone and lost in a huge city, feeling defeated and afraid. She sighed and searched through her purse for her phone and was about to text Archie and then changed her mind. What the hell could Archie do? He was in Riverdale. She scrolled through his texts and found the one where he had left Jughead’s number for her. She chewed her lip nervously for a minute, working up the courage and then hit the call button.

“Hello?” He answered after a couple rings and his voice sounded familiar, but deeper and warm.

“Hey….Jughead?” Betty said, her voice slipping over the words.

“Yes, who’s this?”

“Hi…its….it’s Betty. Betty Cooper?” she said quickly, stumbling over the words.

“Oh, hey….” He sounded unsure and paused, waiting for her to speak. She took a deep breath and it came out shaky. “Are you ok?’ he asked, the concern evident in his voice.

“Yes…I mean….no, I’m not. I’m kind of lost,” she said, hating how pathetic she sounded. She quickly told him what happened.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Fucking cabs. Probably a new guy. Do you know where you are exactly? Any street signs you can read?” Betty looked around and read the signs and added a few business names as well.

“Well, damn, that’s pretty far from where he should have dropped you,” Jughead said, sounding annoyed. 

“I can’t catch another cab…” she said, the last word coming out in a sob.

“Ok, well shit, I’m at work and that’s nowhere near where you are. Stay there and I’ll call a cab for you. What business are you in front of?” She told him and heard him ask someone for a pen so he could jot it down. “Ok, I’ll send a cab to you and I’ll tell my boss I need to leave. I should be home before you and I’ll make sure the cabbie takes you to the right place. Ok?”

“O..ok…” Betty said tearfully. “Thanks Jughead.”

“No problem,” he replied gruffly and hung up the phone. A few minutes later a text appeared on her screen. It was his number.

-Sit tight.  Cab will be there soon.-

She shot back a ‘thank you’ and entered his name into her contacts. The cab arrived 15 minutes later and when a rush of people headed towards it, the driver quickly climbed out and informed them it was a call in and he was there for her. A few shot her an annoyed look and she quickly averted her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the man as he started putting her bags in the trunk. 

“Thank whoever called it in for you. He apparently threatened to sue if anyone else took the cab from you,” he said with a laugh. Betty managed a small smile over that bit of information.

The ride to the apartment building took 20 minutes and Betty was astonished at how far away the other driver had dropped her. He hadn’t even made an attempt to get her somewhat close. She paid the driver and he helped her with her bags and drove off. She looked up and counted 10 stories and knew Jughead lived on the 9th floor. She hoped there was an elevator. She managed to attach her purse and two back packs to the two huge suitcases she had and grabbed the handles and pulled them inside. The door had a security buzzer but for whatever reason was propped open at the moment. She was happy to find an elevator and with some difficulty managed to get her bags in and hit the 9th floor button. 

When she reached the floor she again struggled to get the bags off and then mentally kicked herself for not texting Jughead that she had arrived. Hopefully he had made it home because she didn’t have a key. Then she remembered Jughead had told Archie if he wasn’t home when she arrived, that there was a key in the floor pot that the neighbour across the hall kept by her front door. She walked slowly down the hall, looking for his apartment number. Sure enough, apartment 16 was across the hall from a flower pot. She decided to see if he was home before rummaging for a key.

She knocked and a few moments later, the door swung open. Despite looking slightly older, a little taller and more filled out, it was still the same Jughead. Right down to the flannel, beanie and suspenders. She was exhausted, frazzled and still slightly scared and even though she hadn’t seen him in a few years, he looked like and reminded her of home and she promptly burst into tears. She decided to further embarrass herself by throwing her arms around his middle and hugging him, while sobbing all over his t-shirt.

“Hey….” He said in surprise, and stood there stiffly for a second before he put an arm awkwardly around her shoulders and patted her head.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, as she tried to collect herself. “I’m just tired…..and the cab….and I was lost…and people are so rude!.....im extremely frazzled right now….” She finished with a hiccup and quickly backed away from him. Jughead still looked surprised and she thought there was a faint blush on his cheeks. 

“Ummm….well, let’s get you inside,” he said slowly, looking at her like he was waiting for another spurt of crazy. She managed a wobbly smile and grabbed one of her bags. “Let me get those,” he said gently and stepped aside so she could go in. 

It was smaller than she had expected, which she guessed for New York was normal, but cozy and comfortable. There was a closet directly to her left and a small kitchen to her right. It had a small island which served as an eating area as there was no room for a kitchen table. The living room was big enough for a couch, chair and TV and some end tables and a small chest that served as a coffee table. There was a large bookshelf that was filled to overflowing with books, the shelves bowing under the weight and she smiled. Jughead had always liked to read back in school, it seemed like he still did. There was a large window that one could climb through to get to the fire escape balcony of sorts. The walls were exposed brick and she thought the place oozed with old world charm. 

“It’s not much but its rent controlled and with two people it’s very affordable,” Jughead said with a slight smile as he put down her bags and closed the door. 

“It’s really nice,” she said quietly. 

“Here, let me show you your room,” he said quickly, when she held his gaze for a moment. The hallway was on the left, just past the closet and it was narrow and a bit dark. “Bulb burned out, haven’t replaced it yet,” he said, pointing to the light. There was two doors on either side of the hall and on the right was the bathroom and his room, and on the left was a small storage area and her room. He opened the door and she blinked in surprise. It was small, but had a double bed and was quite pretty. She took in the lavender floral bedspread and pillow and looked at him.

“Your last roommate was a girl as well or a guy who likes flowers?” she asked.

“Umm…no. Mrs. Reynolds across the hall insisted on cleaning the room for you and making it more comfortable when I told her a girl was moving in,” he said with a slight smile. “She spoils me with a lasagna every week and wouldn’t take no for an answer so I just let her make it nice for you.”

“Oh,” Betty breathed, suddenly very thankful for Mrs. Reynolds thoughtfulness. There was even fresh flowers on the bedside table. A dresser sat against the wall and with those three pieces of furniture, the room was near full. She opened the closet and was surprised and pleased that it was a walk-in. With this she had more than enough room. There was another small dresser in there.

“Small place but has great closet space,” Jughead said with a chuckle. He wheeled in her bags and she sat on the edge of the bed, looking around again. He turned to go and paused, his hand on the door knob. “Welcome to New York, Betty,” he said with a smile, and closed the door after him. Betty kicked off her shoes and lay back on the bed. She felt so overwhelmed and anxious she couldn’t help but cry again. What the hell was she doing here? In a tiny room in the middle of New York. With Jughead Jones. She had to admit though, she was glad she had agreed to stay with him. She may not know anything about him anymore, but he was from home and he was familiar and maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

 

Jughead sat on the couch and stared at the blank screen of his laptop. He had meant to do some writing but couldn’t seem to get his brain to think. The only thing he had in his head at the moment was Betty Cooper. A very frazzled and anxious Betty Cooper. Her hug and tears had shocked the hell out of him and dam, she had smelled like lilacs and vanilla. She was still as pretty as she had ever been, even more so. He had been picturing the 15 year old he remembered and all though she looked basically the same, Betty Cooper had turned into a beautiful woman.

He heard her soft crying in her room and wondered if he should go see if she was alright. New York scared the hell out of him too when he had first arrived 5 years earlier and he had spent a month sleeping in shelters until he found a job and a place to live. He knew how intimidating it could be, even for just a couple hours of being lost. After a few more minutes he sighed and put his laptop aside. He went to her door and knocked softly. 

“Are you ok?” he asked gently through the door.

“Yea…yeah…” she answered through hiccups. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the door. 

“Would you like some tea or coffee? It might make you feel better,” he said. He heard her get up and straightened. The door opened and her red rimmed eyes, and tear stained face made his stomach clench in concern.

“Tea sounds nice,” she whispered. He smiled and she followed him to the kitchen. She went over to the window while he put on a pot of water to boil. The view wasn’t bad. There was a park to the left and the busy street to the right. She walked back to the island and sat down on the stool there. He glanced at her as he got the cups and put an assortment of tea bags in front of her to choose. She picked green lemon and he smiled. That was his favorite. 

“Have you lived here long?” she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

“About 3 years. Before that I lived in what can only be described as a shoe box. Believe me, this is a palace compared to that,” he said with a laugh. He handed her the cup of tea. “Sugar or honey?” 

“Honey, if you really have some,” she said quickly. He got the honey and she smiled her thanks. “I’m sorry about before….when I…when I cried all over you,” Betty said, her face flushed with embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said softly. “This city is scary at first, I understand if you felt overwhelmed. Having an idiot cab driver dump you in the middle of nowhere I’m sure didn’t help either.”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what happened there,” she said frowning.

“When do your classes start?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

“They started on Monday but I told my professors I was going to be a week late and they just gave me this week’s work. It’s certainly not like high school, is it? They just dump the homework immediately.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Jughead said with a smile. “Do you know how to get there?” he asked. She sighed and shook her head. “Well, it’s Saturday tomorrow and I’ll show you if you’d like. The subway is a block from here and I think it’s probably about 35 minutes on the train to get there. We can map you a route and ride it a few times to get your comfortable.”

“Thank you Jug, that would be great,” she said, feeling relieved at his helpfulness. His phone suddenly rang and he answered it and wandered the few feet into the living room.   
She studied him and had to admit, Jughead Jones looked great. Back in the day he had been a bit awkward and cute and pretty much kept to himself but grown up Jughead was seriously good looking. From his olive skin, to the lines of his face and eyes that were bluer than she remembered. He had always been a bit scrawny but he seemed pretty fit now, his arms muscular and his shoulders broad. He smiled as he listened to whoever was on the other end and his whole face seemed to light up. He looked happier than he had been back in Riverdale. Back then he had always worn a scowl and always seemed tense and his eyes had always been sad, now he looked relaxed and happy. He ended the call and came back to the kitchen.

“Girlfriend?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. He seemed surprised and then shook his head.

“Umm, no, I don’t have….” He trailed off, his cheeks a bit flushed. “Just a guy I work with. Wanted to know if I wanted to go see a movie later.”

“Oh, well have fun,” she said, sipping her tea and wondering why the fact that Jughead Jones had now blushed twice in her presence made her stomach flutter.

“I turned him down,” Jughead said, taking his tea to the couch and sitting down. “I figured you probably wouldn’t want to be alone.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said softly, feeling bad suddenly. 

“It’s ok, I don’t feel much like going out anyway,” Jughead assured her. She wandered over to the chair and sat down, tucking her feet under her. 

“What made you decide to leave Riverdale and come here?” he asked after a while. Betty shrugged and thought for a while.

“There was nothing for me there. You can’t really go anywhere in a small town and I felt like I was suffocating. I just needed a change and I’ve always wanted to take journalism, so I figured, why not?” Jughead nodded, understanding her need to get out. His had come years earlier and it was the best decision he’d ever made. As hard as it had been at first, he had never regretted it. His phone rang again and he answered with a sigh.

Betty could hear enough to get that whoever wanted him to go to a movie was asking again and Jughead was trying to let him down nicely.

“Jughead?” she said softly. He paused and looked at her. “It’s ok, I’m just going to take a bath and go to sleep I think. I’m very tired.” He studied her for a moment and then got back to his friend, telling him he would go. 

After Jughead left, Betty wandered around the small apartment, looking at everything. He had a wide variety of books from autobiographies to fiction to travel to cooking to graphic novels. It was clear Jughead spent a lot of time reading. His laptop sat closed on the chest in the living room and she remembered he had always sat with back in Riverdale as well. She wondered if he still liked to write. The kitchen was pretty well stocked and so was the fridge. It didn’t seem like he ordered in food a lot. Most likely cause it was cheaper to buy groceries and cook.

She wandered into the bathroom and found it small but clean and comfortable. She especially loved the old claw foot tub. It was actually quite large and she went into her room to dig out her bubble bath and started the water to fill it. She peeked into the storage area and found a bike and other items like winter gear and such. Her curiosity got the better of her and she peeked into his room as well. It was tidy and sparse with a double bed and dresser. There was a small desk in the corner with a desk top computer and some books and magazines. A couple articles of clothing hung over the desk chair and the bed was unmade, the dark sheets rumpled. It was all much like the man who occupied it to sleep. Tidy and not a lot of fuss.

Betty spent a good hour in the tub, letting the hot water ease the tension in her body. She could hear the noises of the city out the small window and she wondered how long it would take for her to get used to it. In Riverdale it was always so quiet at night and she had always liked it that way. She guessed she would have to deal with the noise or invest in some ear plugs.

She finally got out and dried off and got into a pair of pajama pants and a tshirt and went out into the living room to watch some TV. She curled up with the blanket she found on the end and watched old re-runs of Friends. She held the blanket to her face and realized it smelled much like he had smelled when she had embarrassingly cried all over him earlier. She smiled slightly and snuggled in deeper.

 

Jughead got home around midnight, having been talked into having a drink at the tavern bar down the street and had spent the entire time wondering if Betty was doing alright. He quietly let himself into the apartment and saw the lamp in the living room was lit. He stepped forward a bit and saw Betty sleeping on the couch. He walked over and turned the TV off and knowing from past experience of having fallen asleep on the couch, he knew it wasn’t going to be comfortable by morning and he crouched down beside her. 

“Hey, Betty,” he said softly, putting his hand on her arm and giving her a gentle shake. She mumbled something and burrowed deeper under the blanket and he gave her another shake. She opened her eyes slowly and squinted at him. “You fell asleep and you bed is probably more comfortable than this old couch,” he said with a smile. She smiled, half asleep and suddenly her hand reached up and brushed back the curl off his forehead. Jughead froze, knowing she was barely awake and probably unaware of what she was doing. 

“Your eyes are pretty,” she said softly and then she was sleeping again. Jughead bit back a smile and nudged her again. This time her eyes flew open and she sat up so fast he fell back against the chest. He steadied himself and stood. “What’s going on?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

“I was just trying to wake you. You fell asleep on the couch, and your bed will be more comfortable,” he explained.

“Oh,” she said, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She got up and stumbled a bit but made her way to her room. He swallowed a laugh when she almost walked into the wall and as he watched her disappear through her door, he noticed she was still carrying the blanket. He chuckled and headed to his own room. 

He stripped down to his boxers and pulled on some pajama pants and got under his covers. He crossed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, watching the city lights play across room. His forehead still felt warm from where she had brushed it and a smile played on his lips. She thought his eyes were pretty? Ok, so she had been half asleep, but from his experience, people who were half asleep usually had all their guards down and revealed things they otherwise wouldn’t. He decided she meant it, half asleep or not. Betty Cooper thought his eyes were pretty. Maybe one day he’d tell her that they didn’t hold a candle to her beautiful brilliant green ones.


	2. Broken Glass, Broken Week

Jughead woke to the sound of crashing and breaking glass and Betty’s “Oh shit!!” He jumped out of bed and raced to her room, swinging open the door before he thought better of it. She was sitting on her bed, still under the blankets, staring at the floor.

“Stop!” she yelled, holding up her hand. He froze and looked down, seeing the glass all over the floor.

“What happened?” he asked, frowning.

“I forgot where I was and I was stretching and I guess stretched a little too far. I knocked the flowers down,” she said with a sigh, looking like she might cry again. 

“Ok, I’ll get the broom and sweep this up, don’t get out of bed, I don’t want you to cut your foot,” he said as he backed into the hall. Betty nodded and he left and returned with the broom. He started to sweep the glass and Betty suddenly realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She tried not to stare, but God, she hadn’t expected him to be quite so….fit. Not in an Archie Andrews, obsessed with his muscles and worked out 24/7 way, but lean and hard, with subtly defined pecs and abs. He had the sexy grooves and plains without the obnoxious bulging muscle. He glanced at her and realized she was staring and Jughead Jones was blushing again. 

“Ummm….sorry, I guess I forgot I wasnt wearing a shirt,” he said sheepishly. He put the broom down and disappeared. Betty bit her lip and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Good grief, she hadn’t even been there 24 hours and she was drooling over her roommate. She decided since he wasn’t a stranger and she grew up with him, it was ok. She had thought he was cute back home, odd but cute, so really, it was just a more grown up attraction, now that he was all….manly. Betty let out a frustrated sigh and fell back on her pillow. What the hell was wrong with her?

Jughead came back wearing a grey t-shirt and finished sweeping up the glass. He wouldn’t let her get up until he had wiped the water and swept again so he got all the fragments. The floor was old hardwood and she was thankful for that, as cleaning up was easier. When he was finished, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. When she wandered into the kitchen, he had put the flowers into a mason jar and she smiled.

“You hungry?” he asked, opening the fridge.

“Thank you Jug, for cleaning that up,” she said softly, sitting on the island stool. He glanced at her and smiled.

“It’s no big deal,” he said. “I can whip up some pancakes, if you like? Or are you more of an eggs and toast girl?”

“Pancakes sound wonderful,” she said. “Can I do anything?”

“Make some coffee?” he asked, pointing to the coffee maker. She got up and found the filter and coffee grinds and set the coffee going. Soon the delicious smells of coffee and pancakes wafted around the small apartment. She poured the coffee while he made the plates and they sat on the couch to eat.

“It’s more comfortable,” he said with a shrug and a smile. “So, we’ll see about getting that route down for school today,” he said as he cut into his pancakes with his fork. 

“Thanks so much for doing this Jug, I feel like I’m inconveniencing you,” she said slowly, as she dug into her food. He swallowed and shook his head.

“I want to help, really,” he said smiling. “Trust me, if I had had someone to help me when I first got here, it would have been a hell of a lot easier.” 

“Did you just come here with no plan?” Betty asked, sipping her coffee. “Like, was there someone you met up with or….”

“No, I kinda just came here and hoped for the best,” he said laughing. “It was stupid and not something I recommend, but I’ve done alright since then.”

“What did you do when you first got here?”

“Maybe we’ll save that for another day,” he said quietly, his smile dropping a little. Betty wondered just how hard it had been on him.

“Do you ever miss Riverdale?” she asked.

“I miss certain parts of it, like Pop’s and Sweetwater River. I miss hanging out with Archie sometimes. I miss how we all used to hang out actually. Me, you and Archie, you know, before life got in the way.” 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t around more when you transferred to Southside High,” Betty said quietly. “I guess I wasn’t that great a friend.” Jughead shrugged and put his empty plate down.  
“It’s ok, I didn’t come around that much anyway. Mostly just to see Archie, but it wasn’t that often.”

“Still, Juggie, we grew up together and I should have made more of an effort. I didn’t even know you had moved to New York until months after you left. I feel a little ashamed of myself,” Betty said with a sigh. Jughead smiled when she used the old nickname from back in the day. That’s what he remembered most about Betty Cooper. Ponytails, pink lip gloss and the sassy way she had always called him ‘Juggie’.

“Please don’t worry about it. I was a loner and I kept to myself.”

“Why did you move to New York?”

“Honestly, I just wanted to start over. I didn’t want to follow my dads footsteps and become a serpent. It was hard enough to avoid that when I was in school. Once I graduated, it would have been even harder to avoid so I just got out of there,” Jughead said. 

“You look happy,” Betty said smiling.

“I am happy,” he replied with a smile of his own, holding her gaze. His gaze flickered down for just a second and she quickly looked at her plate. She wished she was able to get a hold of her damn self. He was making her feel all sorts of things that she couldn’t define.

“So, shall we get out of our pajamas and go hit the pavement? I’d like to show you that New York isn’t as scary as it seems,” he said as he got up and brought their empty plates to the sink. Betty got up and brought her cup and then went to get ready. She pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, as the weather was beautiful outside. She went into the kitchen and filled her water bottle with water just as Jughead came out of his room in his usual jeans and t-shirt as well.

“Grab a bottle from the fridge. The water filter is broken and I need to fix it. I don’t recommend drinking the water,” he said quickly. 

“Oh, thanks,” she said and leaned over to grab one from the fridge. Jughead tried not to stare at her long legs. He sighed and grabbed his wallet and keys. Betty had always been a pretty girl and if he was honest, he had always had a slight crush on her, but he was reacting like an idiot around her and she hadn’t even been there a full day. They headed out and once they got to the street, Betty paused and looked around. She hadn’t taken the time the other day and she had to admit, it was lovely.

“This street is so pretty,” she said with a smile. It was lined with trees and she could see café’s and shops and little hole in the wall stores that would be great fun to explore. 

“Yeah, I got lucky when I found this place. Lots to do all within a block. There, right across the street is the best place to hang out. Molly’s Tavern. Great food, great coffee, cold beer and open mic night,” he said with a laugh.

“What’s open mic night?” she asked, smiling at his enthusiasm. 

“Well, anyone can get up and either sing, or recite poetry, whatever they fancy. Sometimes, when people have had a few too many cold ones, it can get quite entertaining. We’ll have to go.” Betty liked the way he included her. She was starting to feel like she hadn’t made a horrible decision after all. They walked down the street and he pointed out a used bookstore that got her very excited and a few restaurants and a couple café’s. They reached the subway and headed down.

“We’ll get you a pass and you don’t always have to worry about fishing out change. It’s a lot cheaper than a taxi and you’ll actually end up where you want to go,” he said with a laugh. 

“That would be nice,” she said, laughing with him. He told her which train to take and got her the schedule and which direction she needed to go. Once they got on the train, he found a seat at the back and he sat facing across the car and she faced the front. His knee rested against hers and he didn’t bother moving it. 

“So, it’s pretty straight forward, there will be 4 stops before yours and the ride will probably be boring so you’ll want a book or music or something. How many classes do you have?”

“I have 3 classes, 4 days a week and they’re all in the morning, thankfully. So I do have some free time and I’ll look for a job as soon as I get this figured out. I have enough to cover 2 months rent and my share of utilities and food and hopefully I’ll have a job by the time I run out,” she said as she opened her water. Both their phones suddenly dinged and when they pulled them out they saw the text was from Archie.

Archie: Hey kids, everything going alright?

“Did he just create a group chat?” Betty asked laughing. 

“Seems like it,” Jughead said with a grin, as he sent a text back.

Jughead: Yes, she arrived alive.  
Betty: I’m doing good, Arch, thanks for checking in.  
Archie: Take care of her Jug, Riverdale misses her already.  
Betty: Lies!  
Jughead: She’s in good hands, don’t waste a second worrying. 

Betty smiled and glanced at him. He winked at her and she flushed and looked at the screen.

Archie: If he does anything to upset you, Betty, you let me know and I’ll come there and kick his ass.  
Betty: He’s being really wonderful and sweet, I really am in good hands.  
Archie: Jug is being sweet? lol   
Jughead: STFU

Betty glanced at him again and saw he was grinning. Apparently Jughead liked being called sweet. God, he was pretty. She couldn’t get used to this happy smiling Jughead. New York definitely agreed with him.

Archie: Later guys, going to meet V.

Betty put her phone away and Jughead left the group chat and sent Archie a few more, a smile playing on his lips. She decided it was probably ‘bro’ talk and didn’t want to know.

When they got to Betty’s stop, he led her off and looked over her schedule for school and they figured out where her classes were going to be. It seemed relatively simple and so to test her, they got back on the train and she overshot the stop at their street by one and he laughed at her annoyed look. They rode it again and she managed to get off at the right spot for school and only got lost once on the way to her classes. After a couple hours and a few frustrating mistakes, Betty finally got it right.

“Ok, we’ll do it one more time and then I’ll feel better leaving you on your own.”

“I’m sorry about this,” Betty said with a sigh. “Isn’t there something else you can be doing with your Saturday?” she asked as they rode the line one more time.

“I usually write on Saturday,” he said with a shrug. “I can take a day off.”

“You still write? That’s wonderful. Do you write for anyone?”

“An online magazine. Usually I get stuck with the festival and fluff pieces. The feel good stuff. It’s ok, I get to write for money so I don’t mind,” he said with a chuckle.

“You make good money doing that?”

“Nah, I also work construction during the week. That’s what buys me food and a roof over my head,” he said with a grin. That would explain his muscle, she thought to herself. She mentally kicked herself for letting her mind go there.

By the time they got off the subway, Betty was hungry again. Jughead took her to a small hole in the wall joint that he said served the best clam chowder in the city. He was right. Betty had never tasted anything so wonderful. He insisted on paying when they finished and they headed back outside. Jughead’s phone rang and he answered it with an apologetic look. He seemed annoyed with whoever was on the other end and after trying to refuse something a few times, he sighed and snapped a ‘fine!’ and disconnected the phone.

“I need to go to work for a couple hours. Somebody screwed up on something yesterday after I left and they need me to fix it. Will you be ok?”

“Of course,” she insisted as they headed back to the apartment. Once they got there, he changed into some well worn, stained clothing and headed out the door. Betty was actually quite tired and went to lay down. She hadn’t fallen asleep very well the night before after Jughead had woken her on the couch. By the time she had stumbled to her room she had been wide awake and the noise of the city kept her that way for half the night. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

 

The following week had Betty once again thinking she had made a huge mistake. She got off at the wrong stop on the first day and ended up being late for her first class. The professor had frowned at her in disapproval and she sank down into her seat and wanted to disappear. The second day she went to the wrong building for her second class and ended up completely missing the class because she couldn’t figure out where the hell she was. The third day she overshot their street by two stops because she fell asleep on the train. The fourth day she had forgotten her key and completely forgetting that there was one in the flower pot because she was so damn tired and she sat outside the apartment for 2 hours before Jughead came home and found her there. 

He let her in and she immediately burst into tears. She felt like a complete failure and once again made a fool of herself and cried all over the man’s shirt. She did notice though, that this time he didn’t awkwardly hold her, his arms came around her and he held her gently, his hand cradling her head rather than patting it. She also noticed that he smelled really great. She didn’t know how that was possible because he was all dirty and sweaty from work and if she was going to honest, he looked sexy as hell.

“Jesus Christ,” she said in a huff of annoyance and pulled away and quickly walked to her room and closed the door. 

“Well, what the fuck,” he muttered. He decided New York was causing Betty to lose her mind. 

By the time he got out of the shower and was dressed she was sitting on the couch, flipping channels and looking moody enough to kill someone. He went to put on the water for tea, figuring that it worked the week before, it would probably work again. When he had it made, he went over and handed her the cup.

“Rough week?” he asked gently. She looked at him and the tea and her eyes filled with tears again. 

“Geez, don’t do that,” he said quickly, putting the cup down and sitting next to her. “I swear to God, it gets easier,” he insisted.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a hiccup. “You’re just being so nice and I feel like such an idiot. I feel like this week is broken.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“You’ll get used to everything. I promise, Betty.” She looked at him and took a shuddering breath. His arm felt warm and now that he showered he smelled even better.

“I have problems,” she whispered, knowing he had no clue why she was saying that.

“We all have problems,” he said, his lips twitching into a smile. “The good news is, you have no class tomorrow,” he reminded her. She leaned back with a sigh of relief and he followed her, his arm still around her shoulder. He made no attempt to move it.

“What do you do to unwind?” she asked.

“I play video games,” he said with a laugh. “Wanna try it?” She shrugged. 

“Sure, why not. Let’s see what else I suck at.”

“Stop,” he chided softly and moved to set up the console. He handed her a controller and she waited while he set up some sort of war game. 

“So what are we doing here?” she asked. 

“We try to kill each other,” he said laughing. She had no idea what she was doing and he had to show her what to do. Surprisingly, she was actually pretty good. When she wasn’t cheating. 

“Wait, wait….” She laughed as her little army guy ran to get away from his. He was taking aim and she quickly put her hand over his eyes. 

“Hey!” he yelled, leaning towards her to get around her hand. She laughed and grabbed at his controller, trying to pull his fingers off the buttons. “You don’t play fair,” he said laughing, trying to dodge her attempts at sabotage. He ended up killing her anyway and she sat back with a pout. “Poor baby,” he said, copying her pouty face. 

“You should let me win, I’m a small helpless girl,” she insisted with a smack on his arm. 

“Really?” he laughed. “What happened to ‘I am woman, hear me roar!’”

“I’m too tired to roar,” she said with a laugh of her own. “It’s like play fighting. You always let the girl win,” she informed him.

“Well, if we ever play fight, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, his voice suddenly soft and teasing. Betty suddenly had a mental image of rolling around with him in a wrestle and her stomach started fluttering. He held her gaze for a moment before quickly looking away. 

“You hungry?” he asked, getting up and putting the game away. “Figured we could order pizza.”

“Sure that sounds good," she said, taking a couple quick breaths to ease her butterflies.

 

The evening passed quietly, with them eating their pizza and watching a movie on opposite ends of the couch. She kept peaking over at him and noticed he wasn’t wearing his beanie. He had really great hair and that curl that kept falling over his forehead drove her nuts. She kept wanting to brush it back. When the movie ended she said she was tired and went to bed. In truth, she just needed to get into a different space that he wasn’t in. She had only been there a week and she was finding him more attractive every day and that bothered her. 

Had he been this attractive when he was younger? Did she just not notice cause she was busy pining like an idiot over Archie who had never returned her feelings. She had dated other boys from Riverdale and none of them had done anything for her. She wondered if Jughead had stayed, if she would have noticed him. Betty sighed and rolled her eyes. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in over 6 months and guy she had dated last had been so boring, she almost fell asleep on dates. She had never dated anyone who made her heart race or her stomach flutter. Even after dating one guy for almost a year. Now here was Jughead, an old friend she barely remembered and wasn’t dating him at all and she couldn’t seem to think like a sane person around him. She needed to start acting like an adult. The man had offered his home to her and as wonderful and sweet as he was being, he was probably thinking she was losing it at this point. 

 

Jughead sat on the couch and flipped through the channels on the TV. Betty was in her room and he kind of missed her. He had grown used to her being on the couch with him in the evening and after being alone for a month, he was really enjoying her company. He had noticed her constant glances when they watched the movie and he had worked really hard not to smile or look at her. He gave up watching TV after a while and went to his room. He paused outside her door and an image of her in her bed from the previous week when she had broken the vase ran through his mind. He had cleaned up the glass, trying not to look at her, her eyes sleepy and lazy, her hair wild and floating around her. She had been staring at his bare stomach and he had gotten all hot and bothered. 

Jughead sighed and went to his room. What the fuck! He needed to get control of himself. He honestly hadn’t expected this. It’s not like he never saw beautiful women. Hell, some of his friends were beautiful. Betty just did something to him that he hadn’t felt in a while, if ever. Clearly, this apartment was too small for them to occupy the same space. That’s probably what it was. Not enough space and being in each other’s face all the time was the reason he was attracted to her. Yeah, that made sense. Right? Yeah, definitely. Jughead covered his face with his pillow and let out a groan. He was in trouble and he knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all your lovely comments!!! follow me on Tumblr at lazydaizies


	3. Far Fetched Ideas

When Betty woke the next day, Jughead had already left for work. She was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because she needed to just be in the apartment for a day by herself and breathe without her heart pounding in her chest and sad because despite all that, she missed him already. She sighed and padded into the kitchen to find some breakfast. She was busy shuffling around the fridge when there was a knock at the door. She frowned and stood unsure for a minute and then walked over and looked through the peep hole. An older woman, with jet black hair and fire engine red lipstick stood there, holding a covered casserole dish. Betty pulled the door open and was met with a brilliant smile.

“Hi!” the woman exclaimed. “You must be Betty!” She almost plowed over Betty as she swept past her into the apartment and deposited the casserole on the counter. “I’m so happy to finally meet you!” she exclaimed and to Betty’s surprise, grabbed her in a fierce hug. She smelled like roses.

“Hi…hello…” Betty stuttered, a little shocked. 

“I’m Mrs. Reynolds,” the woman said, holding out her hand as if she hadn’t just squeezed the breath from Betty. They shook hands and the woman kept Betty’s in both of hers. “Was your room satisfactory? I told Jughead that I simply had to clean it. The man in it before you wasn’t very tidy and I was glad when he left. I don’t think Jughead liked him either. He was very rude that man.” Betty’s mouth twitched with a smile at the woman’s frowning rant.

“It was lovely, thank you so much.”

“When Jughead told me an old friend was coming to stay and it was a girl, I just had to make sure everything was pretty. I tried to get information out of him about you but all he could say was that you were very smart, nice and pretty,” the woman said with a roll of her eyes. Betty flushed. Jughead told the women she was pretty? He hadn’t seen her in years. “He said that’s all he remembered, but of course he was blushing at that point so I think he just wanted me to shut up. Yes, exactly like you’re doing right now, that cute little blush on the cheeks,” Mrs Reynolds said with a smile and then pinched Betty’s cheeks.

“Would you like some tea?” Betty asked, unsure of what she should say. She was still reeling that Jughead had told the women she was pretty. 

“I would love some, and you can call me Sally,” she said, and then set about making the tea herself. It was obvious she was very familiar with the apartment.

“So, you know Jughead pretty well?” Betty asked, sitting on the stool.

“Yes, that sweet young man is always taking care of me. I didn’t know him too well the first year, he kept pretty much to himself, but after my husband passed away, he came over to offer his condolences and asked if I needed help with anything and he sort of became my helper. He makes sure things stay working and he gets me things I need if I feel poorly. He checks in almost every day, either with a knock on the door to give an old lady a hug or a text saying ‘hello’.” Betty smiled. She had realized over the last week that Jughead was extremely thoughtful and went out of his way to make sure she was ok. 

“He’s really great,” she said softly.

“I clean this place once a month, like give it a good scrub. I insisted, of course, when he tried to tell me I didn’t have to, and I make sure he has a lasagna every Friday. I missed last week because I had a flu bug, so I made this weeks a little bigger. I knew you were here, so I added extra love,” Sally said with a bright smile. Betty couldn’t help but smile back. “So, tell me, how does Jughead know you?”

“We grew up together. I haven’t seen him in a while though, he left home when he was 18 and it’s nice to reconnect now. We have a mutual friend who set this up so I’d have a place to stay when I went to school. It’s been nice seeing him again.”

“I’m sure it has,” Sally said with a knowing look on her face. “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?” she asked with a wink. Betty blushed and concentrated on putting honey in her tea. Sally laughed and poured cream into her tea with a bit of sugar. “Oh you kids. Both blushing at the mention of the other, this is very interesting indeed,” she said, almost to herself. They chatted a while longer; well, Sally chatted a while longer. Betty couldn’t really get a word in as the woman told her life story in a matter of 10 minutes. By the time she got up to leave, Betty’s head was reeling. She decided she loved Sally Reynolds and was glad to have met her. She was invited to come over any time she wanted and have tea.

“Thank you, I’ll do that,” Betty said smiling. 

“And please tell Jughead that I need him to come change some light bulbs for me. I’m just too short and too old to be climbing chairs,” Sally said with a sigh. Betty promised she would and then she was gone. After she put the lasagna in the fridge and had a bit to eat, she took a shower and pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt. Her phone dinged and she pulled it from her pocket. It was a text from Jughead.

J: Hey, just wanted to say hi and check in 

Betty smiled and sat down on the couch. 

B: I met Mrs. Reynolds.

J: Oh boy, lol. How was that? 

B: I really like her, she’s nice. She brought lasagna.

J: Nice, we’ll have it for dinner. 

B: ….and she needs lightbulbs changed.

J: lol, ok, I’ll have to pick some up after work.

Betty paused for a while, unsure of what to say. She smiled and sent another text.

B: You’re really sweet, Juggie.

Jughead didn’t reply for a while and she thought he may have gone back to work. He replied a minute later with a smile emoji. Betty wondered if he was blushing and she grinned.

B: I think Sally has an old lady crush on you.

J: Stop it lol 

B: have a great day, stay safe.

J: would you like to meet me for lunch?

Betty was surprised and happy as she read the text. 

B: I would love to. What shall I bring?

J: Burger and fries would be great.

He sent the address of where he was working and told her how to get there and made her promise to text if she felt unsure about the directions. She promised she would.

Betty managed to get to the street where Jughead was working with no problems and she found the burger joint he had mentioned and ordered the food. It was close to when he said he broke for lunch and she headed over to the fenced off area where a building was going up. She stood unsure until a supervisor came up and asked if she needed anything.

“I’m looking for Jughead? He asked me to bring lunch,” she said with a smile. The man turned and looked in the direction where a group of men were digging at something with shovels.

“Hey Jones,” he yelled. “Your girl’s here.” Betty was about to correct him that she wasn’t his girl but the man was already walking off. She looked over and finally spotted Jughead as he straightened and looked in her direction. She waved and he smiled, putting his shovel down and pulling off his gloves. She watched him and felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach. He was wearing jeans and a tight white tank top and his arms were sweaty and streaked with dirt and her mind suddenly raced back in time to another construction site that her and Veronica had brought lunch to one day.

Jughead and Archie had been helping Archie’s father at his work site and even though she doesn’t recall even having taken notice of Jughead at the time, she suddenly saw a flash of him in a similar white tank top and a hard hat perched on his head, his face smiling as he talked to Archie. Betty was beginning to wonder just how stupidly blind she had been back then. 

“Hey Jug, I didn’t know you had yourself a pretty girl,” someone called out and Betty flushed and Jughead lifted his hand, giving the guy the finger and kept walking toward her. There were a few cat call whistles and by the time he reached her with his lazy swagger she was blushing red.

“Ignore them, they’re idiots,” he said with a laugh when he reached her. She didn’t bother telling him that he was a little flushed too. Although, it may have just been from working. He lifted the tank top and wiped his face and Betty almost dropped the bag of food. Fuck. His hard stomach glistened with a sheen of sweat and she swallowed and quickly looked down.

He led her over to a pile of lumber and they sat down on top of it and she handed him his lunch. He smiled his thanks and dug right in. While they ate, Betty glanced up at the building that was going up. It was quite impressive and the thought of Jughead being on the top made her nervous.

“This is quite impressive,” she said, motioning to the structure as she popped a fry in her mouth. “The thought of you being all the way up there is a little frightening,” she admitted.

“I always wear a safety harness,” he said with a smile. 

“You like the work?”

“It’s ok,” he said with a shrug. “Pays the bills and keeps me in shape.” 

“Yeah it does,” she blurted before she could bite her tongue. She immediately blushed and when she risked a peek at him, he was looking at his drink, smiling. He glanced at her and despite the faint flush on his cheeks, which she now decided wasn’t from work, he winked. She nudged him with her shoulder and he laughed and finished off his burger.

“So, you like Sally?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“She’s very nice. She talks a lot, but she’s very nice,” Betty said with a smile. “She didn’t like your last roommate.” Jughead laughed.

“Yeah, he was a bit of an ass, but he mostly kept to himself and he helped with the rent so I put up with him for a while. I was relieved when he said he was leaving. Of course I had to find another roommate, but that worked out pretty good, I think,” he said with a soft smile. She smiled at him and handed him the rest of her burger. He gladly accepted. 

“Back to work Jones,” a yell came a while later. 

“Someone’s always gotta spoil a good time,” he said with a sigh and hopped off the lumber. He helped her down and she gathered up their garbage. “I’ll be home around 6 today. Gonna be putting in extra hours the next couple weeks. They want this under the roof before the snow flies,” he explained. She nodded her understanding and to her surprise, he gave her a quick hug and before she could return it, he was already walking away. Betty stood, flustered and smiling and when he turned to smile back at her she gave him a happy wave. 

 

The next couple weeks, Betty settled into an easy routine and life became a little easier. Jughead worked a lot and she rarely saw him. He came home late most weeknights, exhausted from work and usually ate, showered and fell asleep on the couch. On Saturdays she learned that he liked things quiet as he would type out his article for his writing job for the following week’s online post. Sunday’s he slept late and spent the day lounging around, watching movies or reading. She kept busy with homework and much to her surprise and excitement, got a job at Molly’s tavern across the street. She was thrilled that it was so close to home and so was Jughead. He didn’t want to worry about her coming home late from work and having to ride the rails alone. 

She worked every afternoon and all day Friday’s and some Sundays and it was perfect. The wage was good enough so she could afford her living costs and she was thankful for it. It was easy living with Jughead. He was so kind and considerate and she was starting to like him more and more. Her butterflies and racing heart didn’t ease and pretty much were a constant thing now. She was aware of everything he did when he was around. The way he moved and smiled and flushed when things got a little flirty. Well, not so much flirting but there would be moments where their eyes would hold, or his gaze would flicker over her mouth, or they would sit on the couch, barely touching but close enough to be very aware of each other. She was starting to realize she wasn’t the only one affected by their closeness.

Betty would catch him watching her and then quickly looking away. He hugged her a lot, sometimes holding her longer than necessary for a quick hello hug. When she would forget herself and brush his hair back, he would go still and just hold her gaze. She noticed he really liked when she was wearing shorts, his eyes would linger on her legs and she flirted with it by wearing them around the apartment when they weren’t going out. She wasn’t sure what really was happening as he hadn’t really made any kind of move and if she was being honest, it all scared her a little. She had very little experience with men, having not dated a lot and the guys she had dated had been pretty vanilla and there had never really been any sexual tension. With Jughead, she was constantly gazing at his mouth and wondering if he was a good kisser. He never mentioned any girls and it was pretty clear he didn’t have a girlfriend at the moment and she wondered if he had had any serious ones while he’d been in New York. 

It was the last weekend in September when Jughead’s work finally eased a little. He had that Friday off and he came to visit her at work around noon. She smiled and came over as he sat by the bar and he ordered lunch and asked her to join him. She took her lunch break and they shared a plate of fries and a sandwich.

“I have to do a story on a fair that’s happening tomorrow. It’s the last one of the season and I’m supposed to report all the fun and excitement of it. Maybe we could go for the day and I’ll write the article on Sunday?” 

“That sounds like a lot of fun, I’d love to go,” she said happily. He smiled in response. 

“What time you get off here?” he asked.

“At 4:00. My boss asked me to work the evening shift but I knew you had the day off and I said no…..” Betty stopped talking, realizing she was telling more than she intended. He smiled and looked at her and she sighed, realizing she should probably give a reason why his being home would make her not take the shift.

“Ummm, we haven’t spent a lot of time together lately and i….I kind of miss you,” she finished in a flushed whisper. Jughead nudged her knee with his and she looked at him.

“I missed you too,” he said softly, his eyes warm. When her break was over he stood and threw some cash down for the food. “I’ll see you later,” he said with a smile and a hug. She smiled like an idiot as she watched him walk out.

 

When she got home after her shift, he had their weekly lasagna in the oven and was laying on the couch reading a book. She kicked off her shoes and came over and flopped down on the couch and he got his legs out of the way just in time.

“Rough afternoon?” he asked with a laugh. 

“Yeah. Rowdy bunch of men decided to start the evening early and I had to dodge ass pinches all afternoon.” 

“What?” Jughead said, sounding angry. He got up. “Are they still there?” Betty laughed and pulled him back down on the couch. 

“I’m fine, I gave one a good slap and they didn’t try anymore. Plus, David the bouncer boss guy threatened to throw them out and they started to behave.” She had pulled him down beside her and still had her hand on his arm. He was just so warm and she lay her head against the top of his arm, closing her eyes for a minute.

“Did you have a good day?” she asked softly. 

“It was alright. Did some reading and had lunch with a pretty girl.” Betty flushed and felt the familiar warmth in her stomach. 

“Oh yeah? Is she nice?”

“Yeah, I kinda like her,” Jughead said softly. 

“She probably likes you too,” Betty said just as softly. She peeked at him and he was watching her. The oven timer suddenly went off and they both jumped. Betty giggled and Jughead smiled and got up to get them some food. After they had eaten, they settled on their usual ends of the couch. He was tinkering around on his laptop and she tried reading a magazine. She gave up after a while, just wanting to talk to him.

“What happened when you first got to New York?” Betty asked. She had been curious ever since he had told her it was a conversation for another day and he grimaced a little and put down his laptop.

“It was rough. I got off the bus and was fucking robbed, like 5 minutes later.”

“Oh my God, really?” she gasped. 

“Must have been my ‘I’m totally new here’ look I was going for,” he said with a laugh.

“What did you do?” 

“Well, good thing all they wanted was my money, so I still had all my stuff but without money, there was nowhere I could get a place for the night, so I slept on the subway train that night. Managed to find enough change to get on and just didn’t get off till morning.”

“Oh Juggie,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. 

“The first two weeks, I kind of wandered around looking for some kind of work and stayed in shelters. I managed to find a job eventually and when I got my first paycheck, I had enough for a crappy room for a couple months. I saved a lot and ate very little and finally had the means to rent a shoe box of an apartment and stayed there for a little over a year and saved almost everything I made until I could afford something better. I roomed with some guys at work for a few months and then found this place after I was able to land the writing job. I had been working odd jobs and when the construction job became available I grabbed it and have been there ever since. The money’s good and it keeps me in this place.”

“I’m sorry it was so rough,” she said sadly, picturing him sleeping in shelters and hardly eating. It was a heartbreaking thought. 

“I chalk it up to a learning experience,” he said with a shrug.

“Were you scared at first?”

“Yeah,” he admitted softly. “The first night I was terrified if I’m going to be honest. After a while I figured out how to survive and it became easier. Things are looking up lately,” he said with a smile. “What about you? I know you said you wanted a change, but was it really that bad back in Riverdale? I always figured if anyone could take over in that town it was you.”

“Hardly,” she said with a laugh. “I had different jobs but all were boring and after a year of working with my parents at the Register I just had to quit or lose my freaking sanity. After a few years, I just wanted out. I really had enjoyed working at the paper and I decided to take the classes here and find something like that away from Riverdale.”

“No guy there to keep you from leaving?” he asked quietly. Betty flushed and looked down at her magazine.

“None that mattered,” she said softly, lifting her gaze back to him.

“How does a pretty girl like you not manage to get a guy to settle down? If I’m gonna be honest, I always thought you’d end up with Archie.” he said with a smile. “Like he’d come to his senses and realize you were the one.”

“He never did and I moved on. Now that I’m older I realize we weren’t a good match at all. As for the rest, they were all boring, and I was a little too intense for them so they dumped me,” she said smiling back. “What about you? No big city girlfriend?”

“I had a couple, didn’t amount to much,” he said with a shrug.

“Why not?”

“One was boring, and one of them dumped me” he replied with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye. He studied her with a tilt of his head. “Explain this ‘you were too intense for your boyfriends’ bit.” 

“I…um….well, I sort of have anxiety issues and it would get pretty bad sometimes and I’d have panic and anxiety attacks and they didn’t know how to deal with it,” she said quietly.

“Geez, I’m sorry Betts, are you doing ok now? That couldn’t have been easy to deal with since coming to New York,” Jughead said, his voice laced with concern.

“I’m ok,” she said smiling. “I’ve learned how to calm myself and breathe through it. If I have really bad days, I have medication. Thankfully I haven’t actually needed any since I got here. I should thank you for that, because you’ve been really wonderful, Juggie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He smiled and nudged her with his foot. 

“So what are you reading there?” he asked. Betty looked down and let out a laugh.

“Well, believe it or not, it’s a questionnaire on what your perfect mate would be. Like answer the questions and see what category you fit into kind of crap,” she said with a shrug. She looked at him and grinned. “Shall we do it?” He raised an eyebrow and thought about it.

“Only if we both answer the questions,” he said. 

“Ok deal,” she said and lifted the magazine. “Question One, What is most important to you in a relationship?” 

“Trust,” Jughead said immediately. “When I commit, I commit. If a girl doesn’t trust me, I won’t date her.” Betty smiled. 

“I like that answer. I agree. Question Two, What is your ideal first date?”

“Snuggling on the couch, watching a movie,” Jughead said smiling. 

“I like that, but I’ll take dinner first,” Betty said laughing. “Maybe a walk as well. Dinner, then a walk, then snuggling.”

“Noted,” Jughead said. She stared at him, and he winked. Betty flushed and looked back at the page.

“What are your views on marriage?”

“I’d love to find the right girl and get married,” Jughead said softly. 

“Me too,” Betty said. “Except, find the right guy.” He chuckled and got off the couch and went to grab two beers. He cracked them open and came back, handing her one. “Thanks,” she said with a smile. She took a sip and read the next question.

“What color hair do you prefer?” Betty frowned. “That’s an odd question after the last few,” she said laughing. 

“That doesn’t matter at all to me, although lately I’d have to say I prefer blonde,” Jughead said with a smile. Betty took a sip of beer, willing her racing heart to calm. 

“I like dark hair,” she said quietly. “How many people have you kissed?”

“I don’t recall exactly,” Jughead said with a laugh. “A few.”

“Four for me,” Betty answered. “How many sexual partners….” She trailed off. “Geez,” she muttered. 

“We don’t have to answer that,” Jughead said quickly. She raised an eyebrow at him, her interest peaked. 

“No, let’s,” she said smiling. Jughead flushed and she was even more curious. “What’s wrong? Is your number embarrassingly high or low?” she asked with a laugh.

“Well, first I’m not embarrassed by it,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just…neither.”

“Neither?” 

“My number is zero,” Jughead said quietly. Betty slowly lowered her beer. She stared at him and saw he was completely serious.

“You’ve never slept with a girl?” she asked, astonished. 

“No…”

“How is that possible? I mean, you’re….” she trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.

“I’m what?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Really good looking,” she said lamely. He grinned at her.

“And that means I should be sleeping with girls?”

“Well, no, I guess not. I just thought most guys main goal in life was to get laid,” she said with a laugh. “That’s pretty much all the guys I know, anyway. You didn’t want to sleep with your girlfriends?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just didn't want to.” Betty studied him and he held her gaze.

“Can you explain? Why are you not looking to ‘get rid’ of your virginity like most everyone else?”

“I don’t like the idea that virginity is something to ‘get rid’ of,” Jughead said honestly. “That sounds callous and sad. I don’t know, I always wanted it to mean something. Like the girl has to be special. I’m well aware that there aren’t a lot of people who think like me, and if they do, they don’t say it. I just want it to be special and I kind of want the person I lose it to, to be it for me. I know that sounds ridiculous and far fetched, but that’s just how I feel.”

“That’s not ridiculous at all,” Betty said smiling. Truthfully, it was about the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. Now she liked him even more. “Wait, is that why you got dumped?”

“Well, not exactly. I got dumped because she asked why I didn’t want to have sex and didn’t like the answer,” he said laughing.

“What was your answer?” 

“I told her it didn’t feel right with her.”

“Ouch,” Betty said with a grimace. 

“Yeah, the slap hurt too though,” he said. 

“Oh Juggie,” she said in a fit of giggles. “Sorry for laughing cause it’s actually not funny at all…”

“It kind of is,” he said with a grin.

“Well, why do you think it didn’t feel right?”

“Well, honestly, she didn’t make my heart race, and I figure if a girl doesn’t at least make your heart race a little, you probably won’t fall in love with her either, so what’s the point.”

“And have there been any girls that ever made your heart race?” Betty asked slowly.

“Just one,” he said softly, holding her gaze. She couldn’t speak for him but her heart at the moment was going a mile a minute. She looked down, flustered and tried to read the next question.

“Ok, moving on,” she murmured.

“Ummm, no,” Jughead said with a smirk. “You haven’t answered the question.” Betty flushed and drank some beer.

“I’ve never slept with anyone,” she said honestly.

“Why not? You’re a pretty girl,” he said teasingly, mimicking her from his questioning. She smiled.

“None of them made my heart race,” she said softly.

“Has anyone ever made your heart race?” Jughead asked quietly, holding her gaze.

“Just one,” she whispered. Betty stared at him and her breath caught when his gaze dropped to her mouth. His cell suddenly rang and she jumped about a foot and so did he.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered, almost dropping his beer. He fished around for it and hit answer.

“What?” he snapped. Betty bit back her smile. Clearly he was just as frazzled as she was. “I’m a little busy,” he said after a moment. “Drinking beer…….yes that is a good reason…..look, not tonight, ok?” Jughead hung up the phone and got up to get another beer. “You want another one?” 

“No, I’m good.”

“Want to watch a movie?” he asked, coming back to the couch. 

“Sure.”

“Any preference? I pretty much have them all.”

“You have all the movies?” 

“All the genres,” he said laughing. 

“Oh,” she said with a flush. “Something dramatic.”

“You ever seen Rain Man?” She shook her head and he popped the movie in and came back to the couch. “Were you going to keep the couch blanket in your room forever?” he asked with a smile. 

“Oh, sorry,” she exclaimed and ran to get it. She came back and he pulled her down next to him and threw the blanket over their legs, his arm along the back of the couch, brushing her shoulders. She sat stiffly for a second, surprised and then she relaxed and leaned against him. She peeked at him and he was watching the screen with a small smile on his face.

“Is there a reason you took the blanket to your room?” he asked as she wiggled a bit to get into a good position.

“It was comforting,” she explained, finally settling fully into his side and tucking the blanket around her. 

“Comforting how?” he asked and she was quiet for a minute.

“It smelled like you,” she finally answered in a whisper. When she risked a glance at him, he had a grin on his face. She smiled and turned her attention to the movie. She tried to concentrate on the movie but found it hard. His arm had moved from the back of the couch to fully rest on her shoulders and his fingers were rubbing the top of her arm. She was just starting to drift off to sleep when it ended and he moved his arm. 

"We should head to bed, got a day of fair fun tomorrow," he said with a smile. She yawned and uncurled and slowly got up. She stood and looked up at him and he smiled down at her. 

"Thank you for the wonderful evening," she said softly and before she lost her nerve she reached up and kissed his cheek and quickly hurried to her room, closing the door behind her. 

Jughead stood in surprise and then started to smile. His cheek felt warm where her lips had brushed his skin and damn if they weren't the softest lips he'd ever felt. He grinned bigger when he realized she had once again taken the blanket.


	4. Fair and Friends

Betty woke to the sound of her phone buzzing on the small table next to her bed. She picked it up and blinked a couple times to wake her eyes up and stared at the screen. She smiled and bit her lip.

J: Wake up sleepy head, we have a fair to go to.

B: It’s only 8am

J: I wanna make you breakfast, that would kind of count as dinner, right?

B: well no, cause it’s breakfast lol 

J: Well, then we’ll be ‘walking’ all day and we could end the day by snuggling on the couch and watching a movie.

B: hmmmmm, dinner (breakfast), walking and snuggling with a movie. This sounds suspiciously like the date I described last night….. :) You trying to hint at something here Juggie?

J: Maybe ;)

B: :)

Betty couldn’t contain her grin, or the warmth that was pooling in her stomach. Last night had revealed a lot about Jughead. Things that were very surprising. Jughead was a virgin. She would have never guessed that in a million years. The man was gorgeous and she was sure there wasn’t a shortage of women who wanted to date him and or sleep with him. He was wonderful and kind and sweet and apparently old fashioned and romantic and she didn’t think a more perfect guy could exist. She liked him a lot and if she was reading him right, he liked her as well. What a surprise this rooming with Jughead was turning out to be. Her phone buzzed again and she looked at it and giggled.

J: Seriously, get your ass out of bed or I’ll come in and drag you out.

B: I dare you…..

Seconds later, Betty’s door flew open and she jumped in surprise. She had expected some witty comment in reply. He leaned against the door frame and smiled at her. God, he was sexy. He was still in his pajama pants and tshirt and his hair was all rumpled and it was quite obvious he had just gotten up as well.

Jughead’s stomach clenched as he looked at her laying on her pillow. She had a grin on her face and her eyes, sleepy and lazy, sparkled with laughter. Jughead had dated women and yes, he had been aroused and turned on before, but he had never wanted to just rip a woman’s clothes off and make her scream his name like he wanted to right now. 

Betty saw Jughead’s eyes rake over her and her heart raced when he swallowed and his eyes darkened. He straightened and suddenly looked flustered. 

“Up and at ‘em,” he said, his voice sounding a little gruff. “I’ll whip up some breakfast.” He backed into the hallway and was gone. Betty took a deep breath and got out of bed. She used the bathroom and checked her phone for the weather and saw it was going to be a beautiful day. A scroll through the 14 day forecast showed that October was going to come in cold and she was glad they had at least a warm day for spending outdoors.

She smiled and pulled on a pair of shorts and a little white tshirt that showed a hint of skin on her belly. She decided to up the flirt and see what happened. She put a braid in her hair down one side and pulled it back with the rest of her hair in a loose pony tail and added hoop earrings and a tiny bit of makeup. She went into the kitchen and bit back a smile when Jughead stilled and stared at her.

“You look amazing,” he blurted and then to her delight, blushed. She lived for his blushing over her and she felt herself get warm all over.

“Thank you,” she said softly and poured herself some coffee. “So where is this fair we’re going to?” she asked, sitting on a stool.

“A nice quick half hour rail ride,” he said with a laugh. “I went to it last year as well, it’s actually really great.”

“You went all alone?” she asked, blowing her coffee to cool it a little.

“Some friends came along,” he answered as he cracked some eggs. He had breakfast ready quickly and they ate while he went over what was all at this fair. It sounded like a lot of fun and she couldn’t wait to get started. Jughead grabbed his backpack and threw in a couple bottles of water and a flannel shirt in case it got cold. She added a sweater and lip gloss and her wallet and they set out. 

Jughead sat on the subway seat and rested his arm along the back and Betty decided it was an invitation, even if it wasn’t. She sat next to him and leaned into his side and he smiled and nudged her shoulder with his hand. She nudged him back with her shoulder and they just sat there smiling. Probably looking like complete dorks to everyone else.

“You smell great,” he said gruffly, his fingers brushing her arm. 

“Thank you, it’s a new perfume I found the other day. Was kinda cheap but it smelled nice,” she said with a laugh.

“What’s it called?” he asked curiously. She flushed and played with the hem of her shirt.

“Nothing.”

“It’s called ‘nothing’?” His voice sounded like he wanted to laugh. Betty sighed and looked at him, meeting his gaze.

“It’s called Flirty Tease,” she said, turning red. Jughead swallowed and looked away.

“It smells great,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse. His arm moved from the back of the seat to her shoulder, much like he had done the previous night and he pulled her closer. Betty smiled and rested her hand on his leg. 

When Jughead finally led her off the subway, they walked a block and came up on a park. Betty smiled when she saw all the excitement. The fair basically covered the entire park and already was getting crowded with people. It was a beautiful day and everyone was taking advantage.

“You any good on rides?” Jughead asked as they got in line at the ticket booth. “Like they make you sick or anything like that?”

“No, I like them. I get a little scared but that’s the fun of it, right?” 

“That’s my girl,” he said happily. Betty liked the sound of that. She decided she wanted nothing more than to be his girl. They got wrist bands and walked around a bit, taking it all in.

“So what do you do then? Just enjoy the day and then write about it for your article. You have to interview anyone or anything like that?”

“The first one. I’ll just write about what I was doing and seeing and maybe how the person I was with enjoyed it,” he said with a smile.

“So, you’ll like, quiz me later?” 

“Maybe, I kind of like quizzes now,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. Betty ducked her head and grinned. The one from last night sure had been revealing. The crowd was getting a little thick and Betty got bumped from behind and she fell forward. Jughead caught her arm and pulled her closer to him.

“You ok?” he asked, frowning at the people behind her. Betty smiled and nodded. His hand moved down her arm and he took hers, leading her through the people to a less crowded area. He let go of her hand and she was a little disappointed. 

“Let’s go on the ferris wheel,” she said when she saw it looming in the distance. 

“You like heights?” he asked with a grin.

“I’m actually terrified of heights but I like the ferris wheel for some reason,” she said laughing. He surprised her then by taking her hand again, his fingers curled through hers and she gave his hand a small squeeze. He squeezed back and smiled at her. Once they got on the ride, and it started to move, her grip on his hand tightened and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. 

“I’d promise to keep you safe, but if the seat breaks, we’re fucked,” he said, biting back a laugh.

“Oh my God!” she yelled, closing her eyes. “You’re trying to freak me out on purpose!” He laughed and she smacked his leg and it caused the seat to shake a little. “Oh Christ,” she groaned and closed her eyes. He laughed softly and pulled her tighter against him. His arm was around her waist and his fingers made slow circles on her side, a couple times brushing against the skin that peaked through at the hem and then her racing heart had nothing to do with the ride. 

When the ride ended, Betty was shivering and it had nothing to do with the weather. She was certain she was going to feel his fingers on her skin for the rest of her life. How could something so simple make her feel so excited and aroused. 

Jughead bit back his smile as they walked away from the ride. She was holding his hand again and looking completely flustered and flushed. He had never worked so hard in his life to keep his body from reacting when his fingers brushed the skin at her waist and her reaction to it got him even more bothered. He paused and pulled a water from the bag and handed it to her.

“You look a little flushed,” he said, his eyes twinkling and teasing. She gaped at him, realizing he knew exactly how he affected her. She glared and grabbed the bottle.

“You’re an ass,” she said and downed half the bottle. He burst out laughing and she shook her head and smiled. Jughead was very good at the teasing. She decided to up her game. She moved and stood directly in front of him, their bodies brushing lightly. He smiled down into her eyes and his gaze moved to her mouth. She darted her tongue over her lip and watched as he swallowed, his eyes dark. “Are you hungry Juggie? I’m a little hungry,” she said in a soft murmer, leaning into him slightly. He looked like he was going to kiss her and she took a step back. “How about nachos?” she suggested and walked toward the food trucks.

“Well, fuck,” he muttered, completely flabbergasted. He supposed he deserved that and laughed as he hurried after her. He walked behind her a bit, admiring her legs and was pretty certain she added a little extra sway to her hips and he groaned. She was going to kill him yet.

They tried different foods and he laughed at some of the faces she made. “How can someone eat a fried pickle?” she asked, making a face after taking a bite. “It doesn’t go together.”

“I like it,” he said with a laugh, finishing hers for her. What she did like was the deep fried chocolate bar. The way she moaned when she bit into it caused his body to clench and he almost groaned but managed to bite it back. She took another bite and left some chocolate on the side of her mouth. He reached over and brushed at it with his thumb. She stilled and swallowed the chocolate in her mouth, her tongue darting out to where he brushed her skin. It connected briefly with his thumb and they sort of froze into the moment.

“You had some chocolate,” he said quickly, moving his thumb when he got his brain to work. They spent the day going on rides and enjoying food and playing games. And flirting. Betty had no idea how the day was going to end, but if she wasn’t sure how Jughead felt before, she certainly knew now. He was into her as much as she was into him. That much was obvious. He held her hand most of the day, if they weren’t occupied with food and she loved the feel of his rough, callused skin against hers. He had a working man’s hands and it turned her on. He would wink and laugh when she’d blush and pull her close to his side on almost every ride. 

She teased as well as he did, with subtle touches and stroking his arm and putting extra wiggle in her walk when she knew he was staring at her from behind and his heated looks told her he noticed. She wanted to kiss him. She could tell he wanted to kiss her, as his eyes were constantly on her mouth. She made sure she kept the lip gloss from fading and she’d bite her lip when he’d look until he was glaring at her and she would giggle. 

The air got a little chilly in the evening and she asked him for her sweater. He handed her his flannel. She smiled and slipped her arms into it and promptly got swallowed up in it. He laughed and helped her roll the sleeves a couple times and she smiled up at him as he straightened the collar.

“You look good wearing my shirt,” he said softly, brushing his hands down her arms. She smiled up at him and he pulled her close and his lips brushed across her forehead. She shivered in reaction and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. Betty wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled close. He was so warm and smelled so good, she decided she just wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever.

He pulled away after a while and smiled down at her. His eyes were warm and dark and he dipped his head and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her breath caught and before she could respond he pulled back and was taking her hand, walking along with her again. Betty touched her mouth and glanced up at him, noting his flushed cheeks and the smile playing on his lips.

Jughead walked slowly, heading to the game area and took a breath to calm his heart rate. He was sure it was about to come screaming out of his chest, it was hammering so hard. Her mouth had been soft and warm and he had wanted to sink into it but he didn’t let himself. He already knew he was totally gone for her and he knew she was into him but he didn’t want to rush things and scare her off. Although he was pretty certain he wouldn’t actually scare her off. He smiled at the way her fingers moved across her lips after he’d kissed her. She looked astonished and her blush was so red, he wondered briefly if she blushed all over. He saw a target game and pulled her over, figuring doing something like trying to kill a target would get his mind away from her mouth. 

“You ever shoot a gun?” he asked with a smile as she looked at the game. 

“No, I haven’t,” she answered with a smile. He got her to sit and paid for the game, handing her the rifle. 

“Try hitting the target right in the middle. Look through the sighting notch at the end of the barrel.” She took aim and missed by so much, even she laughed. 

“Ok, hold it a little steadier,” he said and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other hand gently resting over hers on the barrel. “Just ease into it and don’t jerk the gun,” he said softly against her ear. She shivered and all she could think about was his arm around her and the way he had kissed her.

“I can’t concentrate,” she whispered, her breathing a little hitched. 

“Try,” he whispered back, his lips brushing her ear. She turned her head slightly and his mouth was only an inch from hers, his eyes dark, staring into hers. His phone rang and they both jumped.

“What in the ever loving fuck is with this god damned phone always ringing at the worst time,” he growled, stepping back. Betty started to laugh and he shot her a look that said he wasn’t amused in the slightest. She only laughed cause she didn’t know what else to do. She was so wound up, the heat coiling in her stomach that she felt like jumping him right there in the middle of the fair. It was probably a good thing his phone had rang, cause she had been about to make an ass of herself. He looked at the screen and sighed as he answered.

“What the fuck do you want, Justin,” he growled. Betty bit back another laugh. “Well the timing of your phone calls are pissing me off,” he said, explaining his rudeness. He listened for a while and put the phone away from his ear, looking at Betty. “Some of my friends are going to Molly’s for drinks. They want to know if we’d like to come.” 

“Sure,” she said with a smile. She was excited to meet his friends. 

“Yeah, ok. Give us about an hour to finish up here and get home.” He hung up the phone and just looked at her. “Anything else you want to do here? We can head out or do a few more rides,” he suggested.

“No, I’m about done. My feet hurt and a drink sounds nice,” she said with a smile. He smiled back and took her hand and they headed back to the subway. Once they were settled in, she leaned into him and his arm came around her. He didn’t bother with the pretense of resting it on the back of the seat anymore.

“Did you get enough for your article?” she asked softly.

“Yeah, more than I expected,” he said softly, smiling down at her. She moved her head and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth and then quickly ducked her head. He smiled and gave her a squeeze.

They got back to their street and after dropping the bag off at home and grabbing himself a hoodie while she pulled on some jeans, they headed over to Molly’s. It wasn’t too crowded and Jughead headed for a group in the back corner. Two guys and a girl were sitting there and they all smiled in greeting.

“Hey everyone,” Jughead said with a smile. He pulled Betty beside him and introduced her.

“This is Betty, she’s a friend from back home and my new roommate,” he said. “This is Justin, Emma and Colin.” They all shook her hand and welcomed her and Betty smiled at their enthusiasm. 

“So what do you do?” Emma asked, taking a sip of her fruity looking drink. Jughead motioned the waitress and ordered a beer.

“What would you like, Betts?” he asked and she ordered a beer as well. She looked back at Emma.

“I’m taking classes at NYU right now and I actually work here at Molly’s,” she said smiling.

“Really? What are you taking?”

“Journalism.”

“Oh, that’s cool. So you’re pretty nerdy then? Like Jughead?” she asked the question with a laugh.

“Shut up,” Jughead said with a roll of his eyes. “She’s very smart and she’s going to be amazing in the field.” Betty flushed at the pride he heard in his voice. Emma glanced between them, a small smile on her lips. Betty spent the remainder of the night laughing at stories of Jughead and his adventures in New York City. They were a pretty close group and they all knew each other pretty well. She briefly wondered if Jughead had ever dated Emma. She knew a lot about him and loved to tease him and it was clear he held a great deal of affection for her. He wandered over to the pool table to play a game with Justin and Colin joined them, leaving her and Emma alone.

“So, you grew up with Jughead?” the girl asked with a curious smile.

“Yes, although we kind of lost touch after he transferred schools and then he moved here and I hadn’t actually seen him in 5 years. It’s been nice catching up.”

“He mentioned you once, a couple years ago when we were grilling him about his former life before New York,” Emma said with a laugh. “Most of his stories were about a guy named Archie and a girl named Betty. I believe his words to describe you were, ‘the pretty girl who was completely out of my league’.”

“He said that?” Betty asked, surprised. “Why would he think I was out of his league?” she wondered out loud. 

“Not sure, cause you two seem pretty well suited,” Emma said with a smirk. Betty flushed and sipped her beer. 

“Did you ever date him?” she asked, curiously. Not sure if she wanted to know but asking anyway.

“Me and Jughead?” Emma asked. “No, he’s too calm for me,” she said laughing. “He’s a great friend and I wouldn’t dream of screwing that up by dating him, cause it certainly wouldn’t last.”

“Why do you say that?” Betty asked.

“Jughead is looking to fall in love, I’m looking to get laid,” she said laughing. Betty choked on her beer a little and had a small coughing fit. 

“Well, at least your honest,” she said laughing once she stopped coughing. 

“Jughead’s a good guy, but I’m sure you know that,” Emma said with a smile and a wink. 

“Yeah…” Betty said softly, looking over at him. 

Jughead finished his game and came over to the table and Colin followed him and insisted Betty come play a game of darts with him. She protested a little and finally followed him. Jughead watched her smile and laugh as she played and felt his heart get warm. His friends loved her and he was glad. He had been worried they would be a little much for her but she seemed to fit right in.

“So,” Emma said with a smile. “How long are you two going to spend your time eye fucking before you do the actual fucking?”

“Jesus Christ, Emma,” Jughead snapped, glaring at her. She laughed and stared at him, challenging him. “It’s not like that,” he said, looking down.

“Well, I know that, Jughead. I’m well aware of your aversion to ‘sleeping around’,” she said laughing. “But you’re clearly falling for her, it’s so damn obvious, you may as well put it on a t-shirt.” He smiled and studied his beer. “If it helps any, she wouldn’t stop staring at you when you were playing pool.” Jughead looked over at Betty and smiled. “I like her Jug, don’t screw it up,” Emma said.

“How the fuck would I screw it up?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“I don’t know. You’re a man. It’s what you idiots do.”

Jughead looked back at Betty and she glanced over at him and smiled and waved. He winked and she blushed again and he smiled. He certainly wasn’t planning on screwing anything up. Not that there was anything to screw up yet, but he certainly hoped there would be. Betty came back to the table and moved her chair so it was right beside his and sat down, leaning into his side. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. Emma winked at him and he rolled his eyes. A while later, Betty started yawning and Jughead decided to call it a night. They all agreed it was time to go home and followed them outside. His friends waved as they headed to the subway and he walked with Betty across the street, holding her hand. They didn’t speak until they were in the apartment and Betty turned and smiled at him. 

“I had a really good time today, Juggie,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him close. He hugged her back a moment and leaned back. She lifted her head and he was looking down at her, his hands coming up, resting on her neck, his thumb stroking across her cheek. Her breath caught and her tongue wet her lip nervously.

“Are you going to kiss me, Juggie,” she whispered.

“I was thinking about it,” he whispered back with a smile. His head dipped and she held her breath and then he paused and straightened. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and turned it off. She giggled and he threw it on the counter.

“I don’t want to have to break it if the fucking thing rings again,” he explained. He pulled her close again and she smiled up at him as his hands came back to her neck. He lowered his head and kissed her then and Betty sagged against him. His mouth was so warm and soft and he moved it gently over hers. And she was barely starting to respond when he pulled back and smiled down at her. 

“Good night Betty,” he whispered and walked to his room and closed the door. Betty stood, completely shook and aroused. Jesus, it had barely been a kiss and was over before she could even think and here she was, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in gasps and he had just gone to his room. She glared down the hall at his door way. 

“He did that on purpose!” she muttered in annoyance. Clearly Jughead wasn’t finished driving her out of her mind. Well, two could play at this game. She decided it was probably the 3 drinks she had that gave her courage as she marched over to his room and threw the door open. He stared at her in surprise and then his mouth twitched with a smile at the fiery look on her face. He didn’t even have time to react when she walked over and grabbed his face and pulled it down for a hard, wet kiss. She swept her tongue across his lips and when his mouth opened slightly she dipped between his lips for just a second, before taking his bottom lip between her teeth and tugging gently. He groan vibrated against her mouth and she ran her tongue over his lip again and then kissed him thoroughly. She pulled back with a satisfied grin at the look of dazed astonishment on his face.

“Good night Juggie,” she said sweetly and left his room, tugging the door closed behind her.

“Fuck me,” he muttered as he sat down on his bed. She had certainly paid him back for his teasing and now he was so damn aroused, he’d probably need an hour long cold shower. Damn, Betty Cooper knew how to kiss. He shifted, looking down at his lap. “Dammit,” he muttered, finding his jeans extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden.

Betty flopped down on her bed and decided what she had done had not been a good idea. Now she just wanted to go back and do it again. She wanted to pull his shirt off so she could stare at and touch his hard stomach. She pulled the pillow over her face and groaned loudly. No guy had ever in her life turned her on like this. If she was being honest, it scared her a little. This intense want she was feeling. She rolled over and grabbed the blanket and held it to her. The scent of his cologne was so faint already, she barely smelled it. She smiled and before she thought about what she was doing she walked with it to Jughead’s room. She knocked softly and he opened the door. He had changed into his pajama pants and tshirt and he raised an eyebrow. 

“You here to maul me again?” He asked, his mouth stretching into a grin. “I have no objections if you are.” 

“Shut up,” she muttered and threw the blanket at him. He looked at it, confused. “Sleep with this tonight,” she said and returned to her room. His grin got even bigger, understanding why she wanted him to sleep with it. He lifted it to his face and sighed. Well, now that damn thing smelled like her. This was going to be a long fucking night.

 

When Betty woke the following morning, she hid in her room for an hour, not wanting to go out into the kitchen where she knew Jughead would be either fixing breakfast or working on his article. She had damn near jumped him last night and sure he deserved it for being a little shit and teasing her, but now she felt a little embarrassed and wasn’t sure what seeing him in the bright light of morning with no alcohol making her feel dazed would be like. She finally stopped acting like a baby and went to the bathroom and then padded into the kitchen. Jughead was sitting on the couch talking on the phone. She avoided his gaze and poured herself some coffee. He sounded annoyed with whomever was on the phone.

“I thought that was starting in January,” he said with a sigh. “No, I know I signed on for it, the timing just sucks, is all.” He paused for a moment to listen, running his hand through his hair and throwing his beanie on the chest. “No, no, it’s fine. I made a commitment, I won’t back out….yeah…..sure….ok, see you tomorrow.” He hung up the phone and sighed. “Dammit,” he muttered.

“Everything alright?” Betty asked, forgetting about her embarrassment. Jughead got up and came over to her. He ignored her question for a moment and smiled at her.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

“Yes, perfectly. Did you?” She asked brightly. Jughead looked like he was trying to hold back a smile. He stepped closer and she stepped back. He paused and moved again. She stepped back. He stopped and sighed.

“What are you doing?” he asked, exasperated. 

“Backing up.”

“Yes, I can see that. Why are you backing up?” 

“I don’t know,” she said, feeling completely flustered. His hand moved to her waist and he slowly pulled her toward him. When she was flush against him, she looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I didn’t sleep well at all,” he muttered, his gaze on her mouth. “I was sleeping with a blanket that smelled like a sassy blonde who spent the day tormenting me and then kissing me with with her warm lips and tongue and then leaving me all hot and bothered while she skipped back to her room without a care in the world.”

“I didn’t skip,” she whispered, watching his mouth. He dipped his head.

“You did a little,” he whispered back. His hand moved into her hair and his mouth settled on hers and this time, he kissed her like he wanted to. Deeply, thoroughly, his tongue swiping across her lip. She whimpered and opened her mouth and he swept inside, his tongue curling around hers. Betty clutched his shirt to steady herself. God, did he know how to kiss. She couldn’t get enough of him as his mouth moved over hers, slowly, lazily, completely driving her out of her mind. When he finally pulled back, she was gasping for breath, her hands fisted in his hair. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her tightly against him. She buried her face in his neck, trying to calm her breathing and her racing heart.

“You going to hide all day?” he asked gruffly, laughter in his voice.

“Maybe,” she muttered. He chuckled and pulled away slightly. She peeked up at him, knowing her face was flushed and he grinned at her. “Why didn’t you kiss me like that last night?” she asked curiously.

“Because I was slightly drunk last night and I wanted to remember every second of it when I kissed you and I didn’t want to take that chance that I wouldn’t,” he said honestly.

“Oh,” she whispered and smiled. Her lips were still red and a little wet and he kissed her again. He pulled away when she started to move against him and she sighed, her eyes looking dazed. He stepped back and grinned at her. “Lord, you know how to kiss,” she muttered, touching her lips. His face was as flushed as her and they just smiled like idiots at each other. She gave herself a little shake and picked up her coffee again.

“What was that phone call about?” she asked. Jughead sighed and sat down on a stool.

“I signed on to do a job a couple months ago, before you got here. It’s upstate and was supposed to start in January and my boss called and informed me that the date moved up and we’re heading out tomorrow. There wasn’t a lot of guys that wanted to do the job because it’s out of town and everyone that signed on to do it, got a signing bonus. We already got the bonus and it’s not really something I can get out of,” he explained. 

“Ok, so you’ll be leaving for a bit?” she asked, chewing her lip.

“Yeah, at least two weeks, maybe three,” he said slowly.

“Oh.”

“I can back out if you want me to, I’d just give the bonus back and…”

“God, no Jughead. I would never ask you to do that. I’ll be ok. School and work keep me pretty busy and I know my way around already. I’ll be ok, please don’t worry.”

“Well, that’s easier said than done,” Jughead said with a sigh. “I feel bad just leaving you like this.”

“I’ll be fine, Juggie. We’ll text and video chat and stuff. It will be good for me I think, doing things without relying on you. I have to learn at some point, right?”

“You’re already doing great, I just don’t want to leave you. I’ll miss you,” he said with another sigh. She wrapped her arms around him. 

“Then you have something to look forward to when coming home,” she said smiling. He smiled at her and gave her a soft kiss. 

 

She woke up early with him the next morning, to see him off. He held her close at the door and she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. 

“I’m going to miss you,” she said, trying not to cry. 

“I’ll miss you too, Betts,” he said gruffly. He took her face and gave her a long slow kiss. He wanted her to remember it. In truth, he wanted to remember her mouth while he was gone. She was clinging to him when he pulled away and he smiled down at her. “I’ll be back soon,” he said softly and then he was gone. Betty closed the door and leaned against it. She sighed and went back to bed, curling up with the blanket he had given back to her. It smelled just like him once again and she let out a shaky breath. Dear God she was going to miss him.


	5. Missing You

Betty was half way through her third class, trying to concentrate on what was being said but her eyes kept wandering to her phone and a picture of Jughead. She had taken it at the fair when he was sitting on a bench and grinning at her with his boyish grin.  He was so handsome and just looking at his picture was making her stomach flutter.  She sighed and looked back to the front and then her phone buzzed.  She looked down and smiled.

J: Hey you :)

B: Hi! :) :)

J: Two smilie faces makes me think you must miss me ;)

B: I do!

J: But I’ve only been gone a few hours.

B: I always miss you….

J:  :)

Betty bit her lip and sighed.  Him being gone was going to suck, but at least she could text.  Even this little bit made her feel better already.  

J: What are you doing right now?

B: I’m in class, trying to concentrate but a certain someone is interrupting me ;)

J: Sorry, I can stop if you want.

B: No, please don’t. What are you up to? You get there already?

J: About an hour ago. Slept most of the way here. We’ll be starting up in a bit.

B: please be safe…I worry about you climbing around on all that framing.

J: I’ll be safe, I promise :)

B: ok, I should stop texting, the professor is glaring daggers at me lol I’ll talk to you soon.

J: later, Betts

B: later Juggie :)

Betty spent the rest of the class with a smile on her face. 

 

The next few days passed in a blur of school, work and missing Jughead. They were texting mostly late at night because once his job started they worked long endless hours and he got in late and they would spend an hour texting before he’d pass out. He would send a few texts on every break he had and she was grateful for them. She really could hardly wait for him to come home. 

She got off work early on Friday and when she got to their floor, she saw Sally struggling to get some bags of grocery in her apartment. Betty hurried over to help her. 

“Oh sweet Betty, how are you?” Sally asked, giving her a hug.

“I’m doing good, Mrs. Reynolds,” she said with a smile as she carried the bags inside for her. Her apartment was the same layout as her and Jug’s, but filled with dolls and doilies. Betty smiled as she looked around. She tried to picture Jughead with his lanky frame trying to work around all the dolls and frilly things and had to supress a laugh. 

“Please, have some tea with me,” Sally said with a smile. 

“I would love to,” Betty said smiling and sitting down by the tiny table the lady had managed to somehow fit in the small space. 

“Jughead sent me a message that he was leaving for a couple weeks and to let you know if I needed anything. He told me you would be glad to help but I just didn’t want to bother you,” Sally confessed, putting on the pot for tea.

“Oh, please don’t worry about it. I will gladly help with whatever you need,” Betty insisted with a smile. 

“You two are just such wonderful sweet kids. They don’t make them like that much anymore,” Sally said with a sigh. “Nobody has time anymore for us older folks. Too much running around chasing after things.”

“I’m usually too tired to do much running,” Betty said with a smile. Sally laughed and pulled out some biscuits to snack on. 

“So how are things living with our dear boy?” 

“Really good. He’s very easy to live with and wonderfully sweet, as you well know,” Betty said, flushing a little.

“You really like him, don’t you,” Sally asked, making the tea. 

“I’ve always liked him, we grew up together and….”

“Oh honey,” Sally interrupted. “I’m not talking about that kind of liking. I can see it when you talk about him, that boy is weaseling his way into your heart, isn’t he?” Betty smiled and looked down at the biscuit she was holding. Her face felt warm and she knew she was blushing red. “He’s a good boy, you won’t do any better than him,” Sally said with a knowing smile and patting her arm. 

“I really do like him,” Betty said softly, meeting the old woman’s gaze. Sally patted her hand and smiled.

“He really likes you too dear. When he was changing the lightbulbs back when you first arrived, it was Betty this and Betty that. I believe he was already smitten then,” she said knowingly. Betty smiled into her tea. Jughead was smitten with her? She hoped so, because she was pretty smitten with him.

 

Later that evening, with the clock showing it was nearing 10:00pm, she was laying on the couch with Jughead’s blanket and trying to find something to watch when her phone dinged with a message. She smiled and reached for it.

J: How’s my favorite girl?

B: I don’t know, where do I find her? :)

J: Probably on my couch, with my blanket ;)

B: Oh really? Why is she your favorite girl?

J: Because she is kind, and good and sweet and so beautiful and she makes my heart race….

B: :)

In truth, at that moment, it was Betty’s heart that was racing. The fact that he told her that, after telling her no girl had ever made his heart race, well it sent hers into overdrive. And he thought she was beautiful. She didn’t think her smile could get any bigger.

B: Well, if you were trying to make mine race with all that, it worked.

J: ;)

B: How was your day?

J: It sucked. The work is just like any other day but knowing I won’t be seeing you at the end of the day makes it not much fun at all. I miss you a lot. 

B: I miss you too, Juggie, so much. 

J: What do you miss about me? :)

B: I miss your smile and your hugs. It’s really cold here and I need a snuggle buddy. :) I miss the way you tease me.

J: Anything else? ;)

B: I miss the way you kiss me.

Betty felt her stomach coil with heat and she ached suddenly to have him with her. Her entire body felt warm. Jughead didn’t respond for a few moments and she was about to ask what he was doing when his message popped up.

J: I can quit my job and just come home if you want.

B: lol stop it.

J: well now I just want to kiss you….

B: send me a selfie, I want to see your face.

J: you took a lot of pictures of me at the fair, stare at those lol 

B: I need a new one, those are getting worn out ;)

A few moments later a picture came through. He was laying on the bed, smiling at the camera. The room was dark and his face was shadowed but it still made her stomach flutter. She could tell he wasn’t wearing a shirt and although she couldn’t see much, she suddenly wished she was there with him. She touched her fingers to the screen, stroking them along his cheek.

J: Your turn :)

Betty decided to tease him and took a picture of her legs. He stared at them enough so she knew he would appreciate a look. She sent it and bit her lip, waiting for his response. It took a couple of minutes.

J: That was fucking mean Betts.

Betty giggled and sent a picture of her sticking her tongue out at him.

J: that wasn’t any better! Now I have images in my head involving your legs and your tongue.

B: Well, you could always punish me by sending me something ;) 

J: Which body part would you like? ;) Maybe the parts of me that you like to stare at?

Betty was pretty sure her entire body was blushing and he wasn’t even there with her. How could he get her bothered without even being in the same room with her. Betty bit her lip and wondered just what she was going to get because she liked to stare at all of him. She wondered what was taking so long and when the picture came through she realized he had gone into the bathroom. Her stomach clenched as she stared at the hard planes of his abdomen. 

J: hope you like cause I actually got out of bed to do that for you lol Don’t want the guy I’m rooming with to think I’m an idiot.

When Betty didn’t reply after for a while he sent another text.

J: too much?

B: sorry, I’m just laying here, trying to refrain from licking my screen.

A few moments passed and then his text came through and she grinned.

J: Fuck Betty, that was more mean than the legs.

B: I wish you were here.

J: You have no idea…..

B: I know you had a long day Juggie, I should let you rest, especially knowing you guys aren’t taking days off till you’re done.

J: id rather just talk with you all night

B: then you’ll be too tired at work and might get hurt.

J: yeah, you’re right. I think I’m going to get my own room next week and we can video chat. My fingers are too tired for all this texting lol 

B: ok :)

J: I’ll talk to you soon Betts, sleep well xo

B: bye Juggie xo

 

Jughead lay on his hotel bed, staring at his pictures of Betty. He missed her so fucking much, it hurt. He was glad his roommate was sleeping because her teasing had aroused him to an embarrassing state. The images in his head weren’t helping his body to settle down either. Images like her legs wrapped around him, her tongue licking his abdomen, her mouth on his. He bit back a groan and willed his hormones to settle down. God, he wanted her. He didn’t just want to hold her and kiss her, he wanted every inch of her moaning beneath him. 

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Jughead was by no means a prude when it came to women. No, he’d never gone all the way but he’d had some pretty good make out sessions, but he’d always been able to hold back and stop before it went that far but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do that with Betty. This was already the fastest he had ever moved with a girl and here he was, already thinking about and wanting to go all the way. He still felt the same. He wanted whoever he had sex with to be that special someone, maybe and hopefully, the only girl for him. He wanted to give his heart and he didn’t want to just sleep with someone only to have everything fizzle. Was Betty the one? He wanted her to be and he knew it was a little early and he was probably being an idiot, but Emma was right, he was falling for her and he couldn’t help it. 

He thought back to when he was still in Riverdale. Betty had wanted Archie and he had always thought Archie was the biggest fucking idiot alive for not wanting her back. Even back then he knew she was special. He had never said anything, figuring there was no way she would ever be into him and when he had transferred and they had lost touch, he had missed her a lot. He had been happy though, that she hadn’t pined after Archie when he’d rejected her, and she had been genuinely happy for Archie and Veronica when they had started dating. He didn’t understand how nobody had snatched her up in all this time. Riverdale apparently was full of idiots.

Jughead smiled. He had been nervous when he had agreed to have her live with him and had never in a million years ever thought something like this would happen. He never expected to feel anything other than friendship and he was even more thrilled that she seemed to feel as much as he did. He didn’t think he’d ever figure out what fates had aligned to cause something this wonderful to happen and he was going to do his best to make sure nothing screwed it up. His phone buzzed and Betty must have thought he had fallen asleep already and left a message for him to find when he woke. He smiled when he stared at the screen. She had sent a beautiful picture of herself smiling at the camera.

B: Hope you have a wonderful day at work and I miss you so much.

He couldn’t help replying.

J: I miss you more.

B: Oops, thought you’d be sleeping *giggle*

J: I can’t wait to hold you again.

She was quiet for a couple minutes and Jughead was drifting off when his phone buzzed again.

B: I really like you, Juggie. I need you to know that. I think about you all the time and I miss you so much I want to cry. I wasn’t expecting this to happen at all and I’m so happy I moved in with you. Hopefully this doesn’t freak you out. You just make me really happy.

J: You make me happy too, Betts. :) I’m kind of crazy about you.

B: :)

J: :)

 

Betty said goodnight again and lay back on her pillow, having long moved to her bed. She supposed they were a thing now, together without actually saying it. She had been scared to say how she felt but just needed to get it out in case he was wondering. He felt the same. Her heart felt like it was going to burst she was so happy. Jughead Jones was crazy about her. She didn’t think she could feel happier.

 

The following week, Betty got a text from Emma, who claimed she got her number from Jughead and was wondering if she could bring over a bottle of wine so they could have girls night. Betty happily agreed.

Emma arrived on Thursday evening, a couple bottles of wine in tow. Betty had made appetizers so they wouldn’t get too drunk to talk and was pouring the wine as Emma wandered around. 

“I’ve only been here once, when Jug had a game night of some sort with the guys. I had nothing else to do so I tagged along. Seriously the most boring night of my life,” she said with a laugh. Betty smiled and handed her a glass of wine and they settled on the couch.

“So what do you do?” Betty asked

“I work at a PR firm. Running around doing everyone’s errands. I’m hoping to move up in the ranks soon and I’ll do the shit work to get there,” Emma said laughing. “It’s a good job, good money so I keep at it.”

“Where did you meet Jughead?”

“We actually met when we both worked at a courier service. He worked there I think for four months. That’s where we all met actually. Colin and Justin as well. Justin still works there, he kind of runs the place.”

“You guys all seem like really great friends. I’m glad Jughead found you. It couldn’t have been easy for him the first couple years. This place is vastly different from Riverdale,” Betty said laughing. Emma launched into some funny work stories that involved the guys and Betty began to notice she mentioned Justin more than the others and her face would get this look when she brought him up.

“I wanted to quickly clear something up so you don’t think I’m some sleazy girl,” Emma suddenly blurted. Betty frowned at her.

“Why would I think you’re sleazy?”

“Well, I kind of made it seem the other day that I just jump from guy to guy getting laid and that’s actually not true at all. I realized later how that might have sounded when I said I was looking to get laid.”

“I didn’t really think much about it after you said it,” Betty said smiling. “I certainly wasn’t thinking you were sleazy.”

“Ok, good, cause I’m not. Like at all. I mean, yes I’ve slept with guys, but not really that many,” Emma said with a laugh. 

“That’s none of my business anyway,” Betty said, reassuring her. “Although, if you don’t mind me asking and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Do you have a thing for Justin?” she asked with a smile. Emma groaned and fell back on the couch.

“Jesus, does it show?” she asked with a scrunched up face.

“Only when you talk about him and mention his name,” Betty replied with a giggle. Emma sighed and sat up again.

“Swear you won’t tell Jughead,” Emma said firmly. 

“I swear.”

“Yeah, I’ve had it bad for him for like a year already. He’s so fucking blind. I basically throw myself at him and he’s so damn oblivious.”

“Are you sure about that?” Betty asked with a smile.

“Pretty sure,” Emma replied and then she looked at Betty. “Why do you ask that?”

“Well, every story you tell about him, it’s always starting with; when Justin came by to help me, or when Justin offered me a ride home, or when Justin sent this cute text; I’m starting to think Emma, that you’re the oblivious one,” Betty said laughing. Emma froze, as if going over everything in her mind and her eyes widened. 

“Oh my God,” she whispered. Suddenly she put down her wine glass and Betty’s and gave her a fierce hug.

“I’m so fucking glad you moved here! I have no girlfriends to tell me these things!” she shouted. “Boys are too stupid to notice and wouldn’t tell me if they did!” Betty laughed and hugged her back.

“I’m glad I moved here too,” she said smiling. 

“I really like you Betty. I had a lot of fun at Molly’s the other night. I was telling Jughead that he better not screw this up,” Emma said, blushing slightly at her admission. 

“Well, I’m not sure there is a whole lot to screw up yet,” Betty said laughing.

“But there is something, though, right?” Emma asked smiling. Betty blushed and sipped her wine. Emma laughed.

“God, you two are exactly alike. You both blush over the slightest thing. Seriously, I’ve never seen two people more suited for each other. I’m telling you Betty, maybe I shouldn’t be saying this already, but he’s falling bad for you and I hope you know that. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Like what?” Betty asked curiously.

“At Molly’s he never took his eyes off you, like ever. Unless he was taking a pool shot,” she added with a laugh. “The way he touched you, smiled at you, pulled you close. Since I’ve known him, he’s had 3 girlfriends. Two didn’t last long and one that ended rather badly cause he wouldn’t sleep with her; with all three, he never ever looked at them the way he looks at you. Even that last one. He dated her for a year and he acted more like she was his friend than his girlfriend. Then you come along and it hasn’t even been what, 2 months? And he’s head over heels Betty.” 

Betty said nothing and just smiled into her glass. She knew Emma was a little drunk and probably saying more than she intended and Jughead had already told her he was crazy about her, but knowing that the other girlfriends hadn’t meant that much to him made her ridiculously happy for some reason. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up and smiled.

“He’s texting, isn’t he?” Emma asked with a smile. Betty bit her lip and nodded.

J: Hey beautiful :)

Betty showed Emma who gave her a knowing ‘see?’ look. 

B: Hi Juggie :)

J: What are you up to?

Emma took the phone and pulled Betty close to her. She held up the phone and they grinned into the camera and she took a pic and sent it to Jughead. Jughead replied a few moments later.

J: You hanging with Emma? That’s great! Emma, don’t corrupt her!

B: Emma says you should STFU lol

J: Anything she says about me is lies. Don’t believe a word of it lol

B: I hope that’s not true cause she said some really wonderful things :)

J: autocorrect did that….what I actually typed was….anything she says is absolutely true and you should believe everything!

B: lol you’re such a dork.

J: yeah, but you like me anyway ;)

B: yeah I do :)

“Holy shit, can you two get any sappier? Seriously, I’m getting nauseous,” Emma said laughing. Jughead told her to have a great evening and that he was going to video call her the next day because he got his own room and Betty couldn’t contain her excitement. Emma laughed and rolled her eyes at them. She stayed for a couple more hours and Betty got to know her really well. When it was time for her to go she called a cab for her because they had finished both bottles of wine and were a little on the tipsy side and Betty didn’t want her walking to the subway. 

When Betty was alone again, she pulled out her phone and sent Jughead another goodnight picture. She made a kiss face in it and added ‘I wish’ to it. The wine fueled her courage and she wanted nothing more than to feel his mouth on hers right then. Jughead replied immediately.

J: I wish too right now. So fucking much.

B: Hurry home.

J: I will. Goodnight Betts.

B: Goodnight Juggie.

 

The following night, Betty was waiting when the video call on her laptop started to ring. She hit answer and there sat Jughead, without his shirt on. She bit her lip and smiled and he immediately laughed.

“How am I supposed to concentrate when you aren’t wearing a shirt?” she asked with a sigh.

“Sorry,” he said laughing. “I mostly just did it to see you blush.” He winked then and she wondered how a wink through a computer screen could arouse her. Then again, texting him aroused her.

“I really miss you Juggie,” she said and then before she could stop it, her eyes filled with tears.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Don’t cry….”

“I’m sorry,” she said, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. “I just really miss you.”

“I miss you too, more than you know. We’re going to finish up here probably on Tuesday and then I’ll be home.” She nodded and smiled, and blew him a kiss. He smiled and settled back. “I could just sit here and look at you all night,” he said with a chuckle. “You look beautiful.”

“I’m in my pajamas,” she said laughing. 

“You could wear a tent and you’d be beautiful,” he said. Betty blushed and he chuckled. 

“You have a good time with Emma?” he asked as he reached to the side for something. He took a swallow of a beer he suddenly had in his hand.

“Yeah, she’s really great Jug, I love her.”

“That’s good, she can be a little intense,” he said with a laugh.

“You’re just saying that cause you’re a guy and you don’t know how to handle her or what to say to her,” Betty said smiling. “She’s really glad im here cause now she has a girl to talk to.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

Jughead shifted his screen and Betty couldn’t help but let her eyes roam over his abdomen. Good grief the man was hard and fit. 

“My eyes are up here,” he said suddenly, teasingly. “Unless of course you’re thinking of licking the screen.” Betty turned beet red. Teasing with texts and then having it said face to face, even if through a screen was a little mortifying. Jughead burst into laughter. She groaned in embarrassment and hid her face. “Don’t do that,” he said softly. “I want to see you.” She lifted her head again and he winked at her. Betty sighed and glared at him.

“Stop teasing me, it’s making me blush.”

“Well….yeah.” His grin was making her insides shiver. Betty reached to the screen and traced her finger along his profile. “What are you doing?” he asked softly.

“Touching you,” she said just as softly. He didn’t say anything, but she saw him swallow and his eyes took on an intense look.

“I’m never working out of town again,” he said quietly, his eyes dark. His statement implied long term and Betty felt warm all over. He planned on them lasting.

“Good,” she whispered. They talked for an hour and by the end of it, Betty was in tears again. She didn’t want to say goodbye. 

“We can do it again tomorrow hon,” he said. His calling her ‘hon’ made her cry even more. She felt like an idiot but she just wanted to hug him. 

Their goodbye took a good 15 minutes and so did the next three. On Monday night he told her he would be home the next day.

“We’re going to finish around lunch and we’re going to leave straight from the jobsite. We’re all pretty eager to get home and nobody even wants to go to the hotel and shower first,” he said laughing. 

“You can shower at home,” she said happily. She couldn’t wait for the next day. Almost 2 and a half weeks without Jughead was enough to last her a lifetime. She never wanted to be away from him again. Was that crazy, she wondered. She decided she didn’t care. She had never felt this way about anyone and she just wanted to be with him. 

 

The following day, as Betty was leaving Molly’s after her shift, she was heading across the street just as a big dirty work truck pulled away from the curb and head up the street. Her heart leapt in her chest when she saw Jughead standing on the sidewalk. He looked up and saw her and she started running and he dropped his bags. He was tired and dirty and he had never looked better. Her arms went around his waist and she held him so tightly, she wondered if he could breath. His arms came around her and he pulled her up against him, his face in her hair. After a moment his hands came up and moved through her hair and he tilted her head back and his mouth came down on hers.

Jughead’s kiss was hungry and thorough and she returned it eagerly, not giving a second thought to the people on the street. He pulled away before it got too heated and rested his forehead on hers, his breathing heavy. She clutched at his shirt, trying to catch her breath.

“Don’t ever leave me again,” she whispered. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a smile. 

They went up to the apartment and once inside, Jughead grabbed her close and kissed her again. This time his tongue swept into her mouth and she moaned and pressed against him.

“God I missed you,” he growled against her mouth and she felt heat pool in her stomach. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled herself closer, kissing him without restraint, her tongue tangling with his. “Who the hell taught you how to kiss?” he groaned when he pulled away, his breathing heavy.

“Am I doing it wrong?” she asked frowning, trying to pull back.

“God, no,” he muttered, kissing her again. When he finally pulled back she sagged against him, unsure if her legs could hold her up. He held her for a few minutes and then pulled away and pulled off his hoodie. “I’m going to take a shower and you order a couple pizzas and grab our blanket and we’re going to eat and snuggle while watching a movie.” 

“Ok,” she said with a happy smile. The fact that he now called his blanket ‘theirs’ made her heart ache with happiness. She was so glad he was home.


	6. Broken Heat

Jughead was home, but for Betty, he may as well have still been out of town. His work was pushing deadlines to get the building they were working on under the roof before the snow came and he was working endless hours to near exhaustion. 

The day he had come home they had spent snuggling and watching movies with stolen kisses all throughout and then, the next day, it was like he vanished. If not for the texting, they would have barely spoken. For two full weeks, he rose before sunrise and was home after 8 and just ate, showered and after a couple hugs and kisses, he collapsed into bed. 

“This happened last year too,” Emma informed her one evening when she came over for a visit. “I imagine this year with you being here it’s probably a little easier on him cause he doesn’t have to fix his own meals. He probably just lived on take out, as tired as he gets. Once they get it done it slows down a lot because they can relax and just work inside all winter. He’ll be back on a regular schedule and you can make out with him all you want,” she finished with a laugh.

“That sounds great,” Betty said giggling. All they had shared thus far was sweet kisses, and yes a few of them got quite heated, but with this schedule he was keeping, she barely got the short sweet ones. 

Jughead finally informed her in the first week of November that the building was under the roof and the crazy hours were over. Just in time too because 3 days later, the first snow came, blanketing everything in a layer of white. The weather was cold and Betty was pulling out the sweaters and boots and furry hats. 

 

It was Thursday night, when Betty woke up shivering. Her room was freezing and she curled up in her blankets tighter and it didn’t help. She figured her radiator wasn’t set properly and since she had no idea how to work the thing she got out of bed and put on a couple more articles of clothing and hopped back into bed. It didn’t help. She was freezing soon and was positive she could see her breath in the air. She sat up and frowned at the radiator against the wall and jumped when it suddenly made a clanging noise and seemed to almost sigh.

“What the hell?” she mumbled with a frown. She got out from under the covers and walked over to it and felt it and found it ice cold. “Shit,” she muttered. Betty left her room and closed the door to keep the cold in and knocked on Jughead’s door. He didn’t answer and she opened it slowly and sighed happily at the warmth she felt. She walked over to the bed and he was laying on his stomach, fast asleep.

“Jughead,” she whispered and poked him in the arm. He didn’t budge. She shook him a little harder and got a grunt out of him. “Jughead!” she said a little louder and he rolled over and squinted at her in the dark.

“Betty? What are you doing? Are you ok?” he asked, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Like 3 in the morning,” Betty said softly. “I think the heat is broken in my room,” she explained in a hushed voice. “It’s really cold in there and I’m freezing.”

“Ahhhh fuck,” he grumbled. “That god damn thing broke last year too. I have to go to work in a few hours, just get in here. I’ll check it tomorrow,” he said and rolled back over and was asleep once again. Betty just stood there for a minute, wondering if she had heard him right. Had he told her to get in bed with him? Well, it beat the couch, so she pulled back the covers and slipped under them. She curled up and stayed on her side and tried to get the warmth to ease back into her bones. She was so cold still that her teeth started chattering. After a couple minutes, Jughead let out an exasperated sigh and rolled over, wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her back up against him. She wiggled to get comfortable and sighed happily as she finally started to get warm.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” he growled in her ear.

“My pajamas, slippers, a sweater and a hat,” she explained, holding back a giggle.

“Take some of that shit off, it’s going to turn into a furnace under here,” he said, his voice grumpy and gruff. She quickly pulled off the hat and kicked off the slippers and pulled her sweater over her head, leaving her in pj bottoms and a tank top and she snuggled back up against him. She smiled when she felt his lips press a kiss to her hair.

“Juggie?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Betty lay awake a while, and when she thought he had fallen back to sleep she slowly turned so she was facing him and warmed her front as well. She lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around him and snuggled in close, borrowing all his heat. She felt him give her a light squeeze and moved her head to look at his face. Her eyes locked with his and she realized he wasn’t sleeping after all. 

“Hi,” she whispered. 

“Hi,” he whispered back, a smile playing on his lips. His eyes dropped to her mouth and she held her breath. His fingers were making small circles on her lower back and she shivered, her tongue licking nervously over her lip. 

Betty felt him tense and then he shifted slightly and his mouth settled over hers, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He pulled back and stared down at her and she lifted her hand up to touch his face and he kissed her again. She was unable to stop the whimper that escaped when his tongue brushed her lip. Her arms went around his neck as he moved and leaned over her, his tongue sinking into her mouth. Betty felt his hand grip her waist and then slowly slip under her shirt a little. Her body shivered as his fingers stroked along her waist, brushing ever so lightly. His mouth moved from hers and trailed down her jaw, dancing over the skin of her neck to the wild pulse at the base. She gasped when she felt his tongue stroke over the skin and then he began to lightly suck, his fingers digging into her skin at her waist. Betty grasped his face and pulled him back to her mouth, moaning as he kissed her eagerly. He kissed her hard, a deep wet kiss that left her shaking and gasping for breath when he finally pulled again, burying his face in her hair.

“Shit, sorry…I didn’t mean…..” His voice trailed off when she held him tighter, hiding her face in his neck. Jughead pulled back and looked down at her, her face dazed, her lips red and swollen, her hair spread on his pillow and his body clenched with need. She bit her lip and looked at him, her face worried.

“Should I go sleep on the couch?” she asked in a whisper.

“No,” Jughead said softly, resting his forehead on hers. “I would never ask you to sleep on the couch,” he said with a smile. “I just need to control myself a little more. Never had such a sexy woman in my bed.” Betty smiled and rolled against him, hiding her face. God, he loved it when she got shy and blushed. He settled back and pulled her tight against him, pulling the covers over them.

“Juggie?”

“Yes?”

“Good night.” He kissed her forehead and gave her a squeeze.

“Goodnight Betts.” She fell asleep completely warm, with a smile on her face.

 

The next morning, before he left for work, Jughead played around with the radiator in Betty’s room a little and sighed in frustration. He had no idea what was wrong with the damn thing. The room was ice cold and frost was forming on the inside of her window telling her the temperature outside was freezing. 

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. I’ll have to call the super and he can come by and look at it. Make sure you bundle up to walk to the subway. It’s fucking cold out there,” Jughead explained as he filled his travel mug with coffee and grabbed a muffin. Betty was sitting on the stool, drinking her own coffee as he hurried around gathering his work gear. He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth and was out the door and gone before she could even blink.

She smiled into her cup and sighed. She had slept amazing well wrapped in Jugheads arms and she had only woken when he was trying to untangle her arms and legs from around him so he could get up and go to work. He had grinned at her protest and kissed her before jumping out of bed and grabbing his clothes and going to the bathroom. She had secretly hoped he’d change out of his pajama pants in front of her and then groaned at her lusty thoughts. He hadn’t said anything about her being in his bed and had rushed around because checking the radiator made him late for work and now she was all alone with her thoughts of wanting to climb back into bed with him again.

She got her wish that evening. The super never showed up and had promised to come the next day. Jughead tried turning on a fan to blow warm air from the rest of the apartment into the room but it was basically a deep freeze at this point. She grabbed a few things and they closed the door, stuffing a towel along the bottom so the cold air would stay in there. 

“I’ll pick up a heater tomorrow and try to warm the place up. You can just sleep with me again.” He said it so casually, as if it was the most normal thing. It was Friday night and they ate Sally’s lasagna and settled on the couch with mugs of hot tea. She lifted her legs and tucked her feet between his legs on the couch, sitting sideways next to him. His arm rested across her thighs and he started flicking through Netflix for something to watch. When she mentioned she had never watched House of Cards, he chose that and they settled in to watch. Of course Betty couldn’t pay attention sitting so close to him and kept glancing at him.

“Watch the show,” he said after a while, laughing at her. 

“You’re more interesting,” she said with a smile. He looked at her and gave her a soft kiss. He leaned back and was suddenly yawning.

“You look so tired, Juggie. You still haven’t caught up on your sleep from your month of working non stop.”

“I’ll be good by Christmas,” he said with a laugh.

“Gosh, really?” she asked in shock.

“It takes a while, but I’m ok. Just a good tired, not exhausted, just tired. I’ll sleep all day Sunday and I’ll be good for the week,” he said.

“You working tomorrow?” Betty asked, already feeling disappointed.

“No, but I have a bunch of stuff to do. Want to join me? It’s mostly riding the rails to different places and getting errands done and shopping a bit. My work clothes are about done, gonna need some new gear.”

“I would love to!” Betty said, excited at the thought. He grinned at her and popped a grape in his mouth from the bowl sitting next to him. He suddenly stilled and looked back at the TV as if he had gone nervous or something.

“What?” she asked, nudging him. Jughead let out a sigh.

“Well, I was kind of wondering if you….”

“Ok,” she answered before he finished. He started to laugh.

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask,” he said, exasperated.

“Well, I’m pretty much game for anything if it’s with you,” she said with a smile and then immediately blushed.

“What if I’d asked if you wanted to move out or something,” he said laughing. 

“Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“Well, no obviously, but still,” Jughead said, going back to looking flustered. She was pretty sure he was a little flushed.

“Ok, what were you wondering,” she asked giggling.

“Well, I really was going to catch up on sleep on Sunday and then I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out…..like to dinner…..” He said, this time he was definitely flushed.

“Juggie, are you asking me on a date?” she asked smiling. “Like an official date?”

“Maybe,” he said, smiling down at his cup.

“Jughead, you realize we have kissed a bunch of times and slept in the same bed, right?” 

“Yeah, and?”

“Why are you blushing when you ask me on a date?” He sighed and glared at her and she giggled. He took her cup and put it down with his and proceeded to tickle her until she was yelling in surrender and basically sitting in his lap. He face was inches from hers and his grin was so damn sexy she grabbed his head and pulled him in for a kiss. By the time they pulled apart, she was straddling his lap and his hands were tangled in her hair.

“We’re doing this shit all backwards,” he said gruffly.

“I don’t mind,” she whispered, leaning it to kiss him again. His mouth was so soft and warm and he kissed her slowly, teasing with his tongue, deepening then pulling back, tugging on her lip, until she moaned and sank into him, her tongue wrapping around his. Jughead groaned into her mouth, his hands slipping under her sweater, brushing his fingers along the skin of her lower back. She couldn’t seem to control her body and her hips moved and his moved immediately with hers. She felt him then, against her and she started to ache, moving against him again, trying to find some relief. 

Jughead wrenched his mouth away from hers and grabbed her hips, stilling her movements. “Fuck,” he muttered, his forehead on her shoulder. “Stop moving.” She stilled immediately and hid her face against his neck. “You ok?” he asked softly against her ear. She nodded her head, her whole body flushed and hot.

“You make me ache, Juggie,” she whispered. He shuddered beneath her and willed his body to calm down. Jesus, he at least wanted to take her on a date before he threw all his rules out the fucking window and ripped her clothes off and carried her to bed. He held her against him for long minutes until they were both breathing normally and his body had somewhat calmed down. Not an easy feat with her still in his lap. She leaned back slowly and looked at him. 

“I should probably get out of your lap,” she said with a smile.

“I kind of like you in it,” he said with a lazy shrug.

“Yes and I like being in it, but it’s making us do naughty things,” she said biting her lip. He grinned at her and was about to kiss her again and she pulled back and shook her head. “No Juggie, you have to behave,” she said with a giggle.

“Fuck behaving,” he retorted and pulled her closer. She laughed and pushed him back. He let out a growl and glared at her. 

“Behave,” she said softly. He smiled and leaned his head back on the couch, his hands moving down her arms. 

“I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe,” he said with a laugh. “Betty Cooper is sitting in my lap and I just kissed her senseless and now she’s ordering me to behave.”

“Well, Jughead Jones, this is very real and you have to do what I say!” She said with a teasing smile. 

“You sure you wanna be in my lap Betts?” he asked with a lazy grin. “Jughead Jones, the weirdo from the wrong side of the tracks whos father ran with a gang and whos mother abandoned him? Homeless, sad, tragic Jughead who had a crush on you in 9th grade and was too convinced you were out of my league to ever tell you?” 

“Well, you’re not homeless anymore, and you’re far from sad and tragic,” Betty said happily. “And I wish you had told me that you had a crush on me,” she said softly. “I was so blind and I wish I hadn’t been.”

“That’s ok,” Jughead said with a smile. “I much prefer crushing on you as an adult when we aren’t ruled by raging hormones,” he said laughing. Betty gave him a look.

“Are you sure about that? Pretty sure our hormones were raging a few minutes ago,” she said giggling.

“Now it’s you who needs to behave,” Jughead said, lifting her and depositing her on the couch beside him. “Bed time,” he said. “We have shit to do tomorrow.”

A while later they were curled up once again on Jughead’s bed. His arm around her and her tucked into his side. He really was very tired and fell asleep quickly and Betty lay awake a while and watched light snow out the window that had started to fall. She didn’t know how she would sleep again when she went back to her own bed. Falling asleep next to him had become her new favorite thing to do. She curled into him, her fingers stroking along his cheek. He was so handsome.

“Stop it,” he whispered. Betty jumped, having thought he was sleeping. He didn’t open his eyes but he was smiling. She really couldn’t help herself and she lifted her head and kissed his chin. “Betty,” he growled, the warning in his voice. “If you don’t stop you’re going to end up trying to sleep all wound up and that will be a lot harder than if you just go to sleep now.”

Betty sighed and settled back into him, knowing he was right. She wasn’t ready to do anything more than a good makeout session and he probably wasn’t either and she didn’t really want to sleep all hot and bothered. Well, she was already in that state but he was right, it wasn’t a good idea to make it worse.

Betty spent the following day with Jughead running all over on his errands. At the end of the day she was tired and she rested her head against his shoulder on the subway home. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head, letting her catch a nap. It lasted about 5 minutes and he felt her kissing his neck and he grinned.

“You just can’t keep your hands and lips off me, can you?” he teased. 

“Shut up,” she whispered, kissing his chin. He saw there was nobody else on the car with them except a guy sleeping on the other end and he lifted her chin and settled his mouth on hers. He kissed her slowly and gently, not letting the kiss deepened and still her heart raced and her body ached. He pulled back and smiled at her, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“We have to stop making out everywhere we go,” he said laughing.

“Why?” she said with a giggle of her own.

“So we don’t do something stupid in public,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. She smiled and leaned into his side and rested her head on his shoulder again. 

“Well, I like kissing you and you happen to be really freaking good looking and sexy as hell and I just can’t help it,” she sighed. Jughead chuckled and stroked his fingers along her arm.

“So, you just want me cause I’m hot?” he teased.

“I’m afraid so,” she said cheekily. He pinched her side and she squirmed and giggled again. “You’re also wonderfully sweet and kind and have the most beautiful heart. You go out of your way to help the people around you and you are loyal and trustworthy and you take such wonderful care of me,” she added softly. He squeezed her closer, resting his cheek on her hair. 

When they got home, it was late and Betty was tired. It had been a fun day but she hadn’t slept well the night before and she changed into her pajamas and went straight to Jughead’s bed and crawled under the covers and went to sleep. Jughead smiled as he leaned against the door frame. He turned and looked at her bedroom door and noticed the towel was gone from the bottom and he opened the door. The room was warm, the super had fixed the radiator. He smiled slightly and closed the door again. One more night wouldn’t hurt.

His phone rang and he glanced down and saw it was Justin. He hit answer.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey man, you up for having a beer? I’m at Molly’s and figured I’d ask. If you’re busy with Betty, that’s ok.”

“She just went to sleep. I’ll check to see if she’ll be ok and be right down. If I don’t show up, well, I decided not to come,” Jughead said laughing. 

“Ok, later man.” Jughead hung up and went into his room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He leaned down and kissed Betty’s cheek.

“Hey hon, you awake?” he whispered. She didn’t answer so he nudged her. She opened her eyes and blinked. She really looked tired. “I’m gonna head to Molly’s and have a drink with Justin, will you be ok?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. Have fun Juggie, don’t drink too much,” she said smiling and fell back to sleep. He chuckled and kissed her forehead and headed out.

Justin sat waiting at the bar and Jughead motioned for a beer to the bartender and sat down next to him.

“Hey man, how’s things?”

“Oh you know, same shit, different day,” Justin said laughing. “How’s things with you?”

“Nothing to complain about,” Jughead said smiling and picking up the beer the bartender put down. 

“I’ll bet,” Justin said with a smirk. Jughead said nothing and just smiled. “You’re pretty sweet on her, aren’t you?” Jughead took a drink and started picking at the label of his bottle.

“I think I’m way past being sweet on her,” he said quietly. Justin studied him for a minute.

“Well we all know you’re falling for her,” he said with a gentle laugh. “How far have you fallen?” Jughead didn’t say anything, just shrugged. 

“Scared?” Justin asked seriously. 

“A little,” Jughead said with a laugh.

“Why?”

“What if it doesn’t work out?” 

“Well what if it does? She seems pretty taken with you and Emma says she’s head over heels. What are you afraid of? Giving you heart and it maybe getting broken? That’s life man. Broken hearts are part of living.”

“I have this grand idea to not fall in love till I find the right one,” Jughead said with a sigh.

“Well, how the hell will you know she’s the right one unless you let yourself fall in love? You have it backwards Jughead, figuring out if she’s the right one comes after the falling in love part. Not before. You think that’s why you didn’t fall in love with your other girlfriends? Cause you knew they weren’t the one? If you had known that from the start, you wouldn’t have bothered dating them.”

“Good point,” Jughead said laughing.

“You liked them enough to date them but it never developed into love so you ended it. Them being the right one didn’t factor in because it can’t. Not until you fall in love.”

“How the fuck do you know anything about all this shit?” Jughead said laughing. “You can’t even tell Emma you’re in love with her.” Justin put down his beer and looked at him.

“Now how the hell do you know that?” he asked, incredulous.

“Christ, Justin, everyone knows.” Justin looked shell shocked.

“Does she know?” he croaked out.

“No, she’s too busy being in love with you and not knowing how to tell you either,” Jughead said laughing.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, so maybe stop with the lectures on me and falling in love, cause you’re a fucking idiot,” Jughead said with a grin.

Justin sat there completely flabbergasted and Jughead finished his beer with a grin on his face. He had another and a game of pool and headed back home. Betty was fast asleep and he leaned against the door frame and watched her for a while. Was she the one? He didn’t know but he hoped. Was he in love with her? He didn’t know that either, mostly because he had never been in love and had no idea what it felt like, but he knew he had never felt this way before in his life. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly? He uncurled from the doorway and walked over and climbed into bed. He wrapped his arms around her and she rolled into him, snuggling close and he smiled. He would figure it out later, right now he was content to just hold her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr at laizydaisies


	7. Date and Desire

Betty woke the next morning and heard Jughead talking on the phone in the living room. He was angry and loud enough for his voice to carry to the bedroom.

“It’s fucking Sunday! I’ve worked non stop for a month to get that shit done……Why can’t you find someone else?.......Yes, I know Im always willing but maybe I think you’re just taking advantage now……. Yeah yeah…..whatever, well then I’m taking Monday and Tuesday off and don’t fucking call me in because I won’t answer my dam phone.” He was silent then, except for an angry “Fuck.” And then she heard cupboard doors being slammed. She winced and got out of bed and slowly walked to the kitchen. He was pissed off, that much was clear by the look on his face.

“Work?” she asked softly, walking over to him. He sighed and opened his travel mug to fill it with coffee.

“Somebody fucked up again and apparently it has to be fixed before some other shit starts tomorrow and they only trust me to do it,” he said angrily. “I need to go in.” He put his arm around her shoulder and hauled her up next to him and sighed again. “I don’t think we can do that date today,” he muttered with regret.

“It’s ok Juggie, we can do it tomorrow. I’ll skip class and we’ll spend the day together.”

“You don’t need to do that,” he said. 

“I want to. I’m ahead of the game in two of them anyway and it won’t make a difference. Why do they keep calling you to fix mistakes?”

“They trust me. I’m not a half assed worker and I do my job right, so that makes me ‘Mr. Fix It’ I guess.”

“Well that’s good,” Betty said smiling. “You should be proud that they trust you and call on you when there is a problem.”

“Yeah, well I had plans today,” he muttered in irritation.

“If I wasn’t here would you even be mad?”

“Well, no,” he said with a chuckle. “They always call me and it never really mattered either way. Extra pay and earning trust is a good thing.”

“Well, that makes me proud of you, you’ve come a long way Juggie and your bosses love and trust you and I think it’s wonderful,” Betty said with a smile. “I’m not going anywhere, and we can have that date tomorrow.” He leaned down and kissed her and then again.

“Ok, well unfortunately I have to go then. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” He kissed her again and got ready and left. Betty sat on the couch with her cup of coffee and sighed. Well, a day of reading and movie watching by herself wasn’t a bad thing. She even called Molly’s and got a 4 hour shift starting at 10:00 am and got a little extra money herself. It was a quiet, if a bit lonely day.

Jughead came home that evening around 9:00. He was tired and irritated and at that moment he wanted to kick his boss off the roof of the building he’d been working on. The screw up had taken hours to fix and he’d never hated his job before, but he did now. The apartment was quiet and he guessed Betty had gone to sleep already. He grabbed a bite to eat and hopped in the shower and when he was done he grabbed the pair of pajama pants off the hook in the bathroom and slid into them. When he opened the door to his room he was surprised to see Betty in his bed. He looked back toward her bedroom and he wondered if she had even noticed that it was warm now. She probably hadn’t gone in there as she had grabbed a bunch of things from there the previous day.

He smiled and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. Well, she was sleeping, no need to tell her that she could sleep in her own room, was there? He grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it over his head and got into bed. As soon as he lay down and covered himself, she rolled over and snuggled into him.

“Welcome home,” she whispered and he grinned. 

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“I was but your shower woke me,” she said softly. He hugged her close. He figured he should probably be honest with her and tell her that her heat was fixed. 

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, the heat is fixed in your room,” he mumbled with a sigh.

“It is?” she asked in surprise, looking up at him. “Did he come by today when I was at work?”

“Ummmm, no…..”

“When did he fix it?” 

“Yesterday,” Jughead said, a smile playing on his lips. Betty leaned back and studied his face.

“Did you know this yesterday when I climbed into your bed and went to sleep?” she asked, her lips twitching up.

“Maybe.” Betty smiled and snuggled closer to him.

“Ok, I’ll sleep there tomorrow,” she whispered. “I can’t wait for our date tomorrow,” she said after a while.

“Me neither. I’ll pick you up at 3:00.” Betty looked at him again in confusion. He grinned at her. 

“Ok, I’ll let my roommate know,” she said, settling back down. “He’s a bit of a grump, so don’t knock too loud when you show up.” Jughead slapped her backside and she jumped and giggled. Then her heart started to race when he only moved his hand slightly toward her hip. “You copping a feel there, Jones?” she asked in pretend outrage. 

“Maybe,” he answered, his favorite word apparently. 

“Well, don’t mind if I do as well,” she said cheekily, and moved her hand under his shirt. She felt his muscle twitch as she ran her hand slowly over the skin of his abdomen. He was hard muscle and smooth skin. She raked her nails lightly over his stomach and he put his hand over her, stopping her movement. She looked up at him and saw his eyes darken as she bit her lip. “I like your stomach,” she said with a smile, moving her hand under his. “It feels like smooth warm steel, all hard and……” Jughead growled and pulled her hand from under his shirt. He moved his hand up to her waist and turned her so her back was against his chest.

“Go to sleep,” he said, sounding as grumpy as ever.

“You started it,” she whispered with a smile. 

“If you’re not careful, I’m going to finish it,” he replied, his voice hoarse and low. Betty felt an ache coil in her stomach. She sighed in frustration. She should have gone back to her own bed.

Jughead clenched his jaw and forced his body to relax. If she would move just slightly, she would know just how steely hard he was.

 

When Betty woke the next morning, it was already 10:00am. She had taken half the night to fall asleep because all she wanted to do was make out with Jughead, who happened to be gone from the apartment she wondered briefly if he had gone to work. She went into the kitchen and found a note telling her he would be by to pick her up at 3:00 and to have a relaxing day, maybe a soak in a bubble bath or do her hair and nails or whatever girls did to get ready for dates. He also told her to dress for the weather. She laughed and made herself a cup of coffee. 

“Such a cheesy dork,” she muttered happily. She spent the next few hours doing exactly what he figured girls did. When she went into her room it really was warm and the heat was fixed. She got some bubble bath and had a long soak in the tub and then painted her nails and she wasn’t sure what he had meant by dress for weather; she gathered that meant some of the date was outside, so she left her hair down in a wavy style so she could cover it with a hat and not get hat head. She put on dark jeans and a soft white sweater and sat on the couch with a book to wait for Jughead. 

At precisely 3:00, there was a knock at the door. She grinned and jumped up and walked quickly to answer the door. She swung it open and there stood Jughead, looking as gorgeous as ever, his hand behind his back. He was in his usual dark jeans, but he had traded the flannel for a white cotton shirt and his head was free of his usual ball cap or beanie. 

“Hey,” she said happily and he smiled and presented her with a bouquet of pink and white roses. Her smile actually hurt her face. She took them, her cheeks rosy from her blush and he pulled her close and gave her a soft kiss.

“You look beautiful,” he said softly when he pulled back. She pulled him inside and closed the door and went in search of a vase. “You broke the only one I had,” he said laughing. 

“Oh, shit,” she muttered. He pulled out a mason jar and she started to arrange them in there. Jughead hugged her from behind and kissed the side of her neck and she sighed and leaned back into him. “Where have you been all day,” she asked, tilting her head so he had better access. He bit lightly at her skin and soothed it with a kiss before answering.

“I was at Justin’s trying to keep him from getting drunk because he’s convinced Emma hates him,” Jughead said with a smirk. Betty turned in his arms and stared.

“Emma doesn’t hate him,” she blurted. 

“I know; he’s being an idiot and after trying to lecture me the other day on relationship stuff, he’s fucking up more than I ever could.”

“What do you mean?”

“He thinks he needs to woo her and I told him she’s already in love with him and to just fucking tell her how he feels and then he goes and sends a text saying “I love you’ like straight out and she replied with ‘are you drunk?’ and now he thinks she doesn’t love him back.” Jughead was laughing by the time he was done explaining.

“Wait, Justin is in love with Emma? And you know Emma is in love with him?” Betty asked in surprise. 

“I’m very observant,” he said smiling. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. His hands came up to cup her face and he kissed her deeply, passionately until she was gasping for breath. 

“God, you’re a good kisser,” she breathed and kissed him again. He grinned against her mouth and deepened the kiss again. He finally pulled away and she sagged against him. His arrogant smirk made her roll her eyes. 

“Too shy and blushing when asking me on a date one day and grinning all smug like the next,” Betty laughed. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“Grab your coat and some mittens and a hat and scarf, we have a date to get to,” he said with a smile. He grabbed his beanie and a scarf as well and they headed out. Jughead had a taxi waiting and he held the door for her and soon they were on their way. 

“Where we going?” she asked, snuggling up next to him. He didn’t say anything, just smiled and a while later, they pulled up in a park and climbed out. Jughead took her hand and they followed a shovelled walk to the center. It was actually a nice day and not too cold and she was glad for it. They came upon an ice rink and she looked at him in surprise. “We’re going skating?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin and headed over to where they were renting the skates. They got some and sat down to put them on and she bit her lip nervously. 

“I’m not very good at skating,” she admitted with a sigh.

“I won’t let you fall,” he promised with a twinkle in his eye. When he finished fastening his, he pulled her leg over his and started tightening hers. She let him and smiled at his thoughtfulness. Soon she was standing on the ice, trying not to fall on her ass. Jughead laughed and stood in front of her, his hands on her waist. He started skating backwards, forcing her to follow.

“I’m going to fall,” she said laughing, trying to get her legs to work right. 

“If you fall, we fall together,” he said warmly, pulling her closer and pulling her along. She felt her heart flutter at his words. She knew he meant falling on the ice, but her mind went to a different kind of falling. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings and then he could let go of her waist. He took her hand and they skated slowly around the ice. There was no boards around it and bales of straw at various areas along the edge where you could sit and rest if you wanted. 

“You’re pretty good at this skating business,” she commented at his easy gliding next to her. 

“I’ve gone a few times. Colin plays hockey on the weekends and used to drag us along and make us skate with him. Got pretty good at it I suppose,” he explained. Betty started to wobble then and he moved behind her and steadied her with his hands on her waist. His arms came around her suddenly and he lifted her off the ice. She shrieked in surprise and he laughed and started spinning around. Betty clutched his arms, and squeezed her eyes shut, convinced they were going to hit the ice. When the spinning finally stopped, he was hugging her close, his lips pressed to her ear. 

“Chicken,” he teased. She turned slowly so she wouldn’t lose her balance. 

“I’m afraid of heights,” she informed him. Jughead burst out laughing.

“You weren’t even a foot off the ground,” he said when he managed to stop. 

“Well, when you have no control, it feels like 100 feet,” she informed him with a mock frown.

“Sorry beautiful,” he said softly, his eyes twinkling. She forgave him immediately. He pulled her flush against him and kissed her softly. She promptly lost her balance and he wasn’t quick enough cause he was too busy kissing her. They went down and somehow he managed to get his hand between her head and the ice and she didn’t hurt herself. She lay there dazed and then burst into a fit of giggles. He leaned over her, a happy smile on his face.

“You falling for me, Cooper?” he teased. Betty’s giggles faded and her breath caught in her throat. She looked up at him and swallowed.

“Maybe,” she whispered. The teasing look in Jughead’s eyes left and he looked at her with dark, hungry eyes. He dipped his head and kissed her slowly and she clutched his jacket, pulling him closer.

“There are children here!” Someone yelled and Jughead lifted his head, the twinkle back in his eyes. 

“There’s children here Betts, try to control yourself,” he said. She rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

“Ass.” 

Jughead laughed and got up and pulled her with him. He led her over to a straw bale and they sat, resting a bit. She watched him, noting his happy relaxed look. He was so different from the Jughead she had known when she was younger. There was no more dark brooding look, no more scowls and glares, no more cloud of sadness around him.  
“Do you ever talk to your dad?” she asked, suddenly curious. He looked at her and smiled.

“Sure. We do the phone call a few times a year. Holiday’s mostly. He came to New York about a year ago for a few days. It was alright. He’s doing well, seems to have gotten off the bottle for the most part.”

“How about your mom?” There was a flash of sadness in Jughead’s eyes and then it was gone.

“I call her a couple times a year. We don’t talk too much and I mostly talk to Jellybean. I asked last year if she’d like to come visit me and of course my mother wouldn’t allow it. She turns 18 in a few months and I think she’ll come then. Mom can’t keep her home anymore then.”

“I’m sorry Juggie. It must be hard to not see your family.” He shrugged and leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs.

“It’s ok,” he said with a smile. “I’m happy now and I don’t let it bother me. I could always go see them if I was desperate enough. I’ve kind of put all that behind me and gotten on with my life.”

“I’m happy for you,” she said genuinely. He smiled at her and nudged her with his shoulder. 

“Plus you’re here now, so my life is suddenly so much better,” he said softly. She smiled happily and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze. He hugged her back and then straightened.

“Time to continue,” he said smiling. She protested half-heartedly but followed him onto the ice and they spent another hour skating and laughing and Jughead scaring the life right out of her. He seemed to take great pleasure in skating up behind her and picking her up, screaming and all and twirling her around the ice. By the time they brought their skates back, her cheeks were red with cold and she was exhausted from laughing. They walked slowly down the path and Betty suddenly giggled and grabbed Jughead’s hand and pulled him off the walk into the deeper snow. 

“What are you doing?” he asked. She stopped and grinned at him.

“Let’s make snow angels,” she said excitedly.

“Aren’t we a little old for snow angels?” he asked with a raise eyebrow.

“Jughead!” she gasped. “One is never too old for snow angels.” She grabbed him and pulled him down as she flopped back on the snow. He laughed with her and they must have looked like idiots but she didn’t care and proceeded to make one, giggling while she did it. Jughead managed to get one made before he rolled over and leaned over her. He gazed down into her sparkling eyes and couldn’t help but kiss her again. She kissed him back eagerly and then pulled back.

“Jughead Jones, there are children around,” she teased. He kissed her again and then pulled her up off the snow. They brushed each other off and as they walked back to the street Jughead called an Uber and it was there within minutes. They went to a café next and had some hot chocolate and to warm up.

“So what’s next?” she asked smiling. 

“Early dinner and a movie at home? I figured the skating was like going for a walk.” 

“You’re ridiculously cute,” she said with a smile. He winked at her and settled back on the couch he was sitting on. She had to refrain from climbing into his lap. He looked so damn sexy, with his tousled hair form his hat and his red cheeks, she just wanted to kiss him till he was senseless.

“Having naughty thoughts?” he asked with a grin when he saw the flush spread further than her already red cheeks. She leaned back next to him and sighed. He laughed softly and took her hand. He leaned close and whispered in her ear.

“Behave yourself and I might let you get naughty at home.” Her stomach clenched and she bit back a groan.

“Shut up,” she grumbled and he laughed under his breath. They stayed in the café a good hour before Jughead informed her that he was hungry. 

“You just drank two cups of hot chocolate and 3 cookies,” she said, shaking her head.

“That wasn’t real food, I need real food.” They left in another Uber and ended up at a semi-formal restaurant overlooking the shoreline. The waterline and city lights were beautiful and Jughead pulled her down into the booth next to him rather than across from him. “I like you beside me,” he said softly. 

They ordered a glass of wine and appetisers and Betty leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. It was turning out to be the most wonderful date.

“Thank you for this Juggie, I’m having a great time.”

“Yeah?” he said smiling. “Just think, you get to take me home at the end of it,” he teased. Betty flushed and lightly pinched his arm. “I like it when you blush,” he whispered against her ear.

“Yeah, well you blush too, mister,” she retorted and he smiled, placing a soft kiss on her mouth. Dinner was wonderful and tasted amazing. The wine relaxed Betty to the point of almost yawning and she giggled when she tried to stifle it.

“You gonna fall asleep on me?” he asked laughing.

“Its all the skating and then relaxing and now wine. I’m so relaxed I probably could fall asleep.” 

“Well, let’s get home to that movie and if you want to sleep, you’re welcome to sleep in my lap,” he said with a wink. She laughed even though her stomach fluttered at the idea. When they stepped outside, the wind had picked up and the cold woke her right up. He held her close as they waited for their ride and soon they headed home. As soon as they got into the apartment, they went to change. Both in pajama pants and t-shirts and soon cuddled under their blanket watching Pulp Fiction. 

“This is the best date I’ve ever been on,” Betty said smiling, looking over at him. He smiled and pulled her closer. 

“Did you want some popcorn?” he asked after a while.

“I’m too full and too lazy to go make some,” she said. “I’d take a glass of wine though.” He got up and poured a couple glasses and they settled back in to watch the movie. He laughed at parts that made her cover her eyes. “I don’t understand this movie, it doesn’t make sense,” she said as it was ending.

“That’s because it’s broken up and mixed up,” he explained, as if that was supposed to help. She just looked more confused and he laughed. She let out a yawn and he brushed her hair back. “I think it’s time for bed,” he said softly. “You have class tomorrow.” She sighed and let out a groan. 

“Dammit, I thought it was Friday. I’m all mixed up in my head.” 

“Sleep it off,” he grinned. He pulled her up and walked to the hall. She sighed again and stopped by her bedroom door. There was no reason for her to sleep in his bed anymore. Well, no logical reason. He waited, letting her decide. She took her door knob and swung her door open. Jughead turned her slowly and took her face in his hands. 

“Thank you for the wonderful date,” he whispered as he dipped his head and took her mouth in a heated, thorough kiss. Betty clutched his shirt and moaned when his tongue swept in her mouth. She let her arms slide around his neck and pressed against him, losing herself in his kiss. She was starting to tremble when he finally pulled away, his forehead on hers. “Goodnight,” he whispered.

“Goodnight Juggie,” she whispered back and he let her go and she went into her room, closing the door behind her. Betty leaned back against the door, still trembling. 

Jughead stood on the other side, his forehead and hand resting on her door. He didn’t know how the hell he was going to sleep without her now. He let out a frustrated sigh and went into his room.

Betty crawled under the covers on her bed and lay there a while. It felt strange now, being alone. She was suddenly wide awake and even though her room was warm, she shivered. She still felt Jughead’s kiss. She felt all his kisses, all the time if she was going to be honest. She tossed and turned for a while and then gave it up. It was probably a stupid move but she was never going to get to sleep and she needed him beside her. She got out of bed and went to Jughead’s door. She paused and wondered if she should knock. She decided against it and slowly pushed the door open. 

Jughead lay on the bed, the sheets down around his waist, one hand behind his head and one resting on his stomach. His bare stomach. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and her mouth went dry. He wasn’t sleeping either and he turned his head and looked at her. He said nothing, waiting to see what she would do. She walked slowly to the bed and stared down at him.

“I can’t sleep,” she whispered and he pulled the covers back for her. Betty climbed in and curled up against him, her head next to his. He smiled at her and she lifted her hand and brushing the back of her fingers against his cheek. He did the same to hers and then took her hand, playing with her fingers as they lay and smiled at each other.

“Is this a good idea?” she asked softly.

“Probably not,” he replied just as softly. They lay silently a while and Betty bit her lip, a bunch of things racing through her mind. She had been wondering things lately and decided to just come out with it.

“Juggie?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Do you ever think…..” she sighed and stopped talking. He watched her face, his eyes amused at her flustered look. She tried again. “Do you ever think when you sleep with…..” she was about to say ‘with me’ but refrained. “I mean, because you have never slept with anyone and when you finally do, do you worry you won’t be any good at it?” He raised his eyebrows and his mouth twitched with a smile.

“No,” he said simply. 

“No, you don’t worry or no you won’t be bad at it,” she asked.

“Both.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve read and seen and heard enough about it and I’m pretty confident I’ll know what I’m doing,” he said in amusement. "Hopefully," he added with a chuckle

“You’ve seen? Like porn?”

“No, I don’t watch porn,” he said. “I saw a documentary once.”

“You saw a documentary on sex? What was in it?” 

“Sex,” he said laughing.

“Sex, like a porn movie?” Betty asked curiously.

“Yes, actually sex but not like a porn. It was educational.”

“An educational porn?”

“What’s with the porn fascination?” he asked laughing again. She blushed red and hid her face against his arm. “It wasn’t porn. They were just talking about sex and showing what to do. I saw it years ago.” 

“I always think I’ll be bad at it,” she admitted shyly. 

“You won’t be bad at it,” he said as he looked at the ceiling.

“How do you know?” 

“It’s not rocket science, I’m assuming it’s a quick learn.” Betty nodded and he smiled. She had no idea how aroused he was getting as she questioned him. He didn’t think she realized that her hand was making slow circles on his stomach and his heart was hammering in his chest.

“Have you ever done other stuff?” she asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

“Why do you want to know?” he asked, wondering if she noticed his unsteady breathing. 

“I’m curious,” she whispered. “Have you ever, you know, touched a woman there?” Damn, she was going to kill him. Now that’s all he could think about doing to her.

“Yes.”

“I’ve never been touched there,” she whispered. “I read once that men like to kiss….”

“Jesus, Betty,” he groaned.

“Have you ever…”

“No.”

“Has a woman ever kissed you….you know….”

“No.”

“Ok.” She was quiet for a bit and Jughead took a deep breath to try and calm himself. 

“I’ve never touched a man there,” she whispered suddenly. 

“Fucking hell, Betty,” he groaned. He couldn’t help himself as he lifted her on top of him, and grabbed her face and kissed her. She gasped as his tongue thrust into her mouth and his fingers gripped her hips, moving her against him, desperate to ease the ache.

Betty whimpered when she felt him pressing against her. The ache between her legs was so intense she couldn’t help but press back, desperate for friction of any kind. She had never felt anything like this and she started to tremble. Betty had touched herself in the past but had never felt this desperate arousal and she moved harder against him.

Jughead pulled away from her mouth, his breathing harsh, his eyes dark as he looked at her. His hands moved over her backside and he pressed her and held her to his arousal, moving his hips against her. 

“Juggie,” she whimpered, feeling like her body was on fire. He moved suddenly and she was on her back and he was hovering over her, his body resting between her thighs. She moved and cuddled him to her and he rested his forehead against hers. He moved against her again and she moaned, arching against him. Her fingers dug into his arms and she moved, feeling the ache intensify. He moved again and hit just the right spot and she groaned out loud, and he did it again. Her eyes flew open and he watched her, nudging against her again. 

“I…I want….” She whimpered, not even sure what she was asking for and at the same time wanting to ask for everything. Jughead groaned and buried his face in her hair. He knew what she wanted even if she didn’t. “Juggie?” she whimpered. He lifted his head and looked at her. “Can you touch me?” she whispered shakily. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, desperately wanting to do what she asked. She nodded and he moved to the side, immediately missing the friction. He pressed his mouth to hers, tracing her lips with his tongue, dipping into her mouth. She moved her hips, missing the weight of him on top of her. Jughead trailed his mouth down her neck, his teeth grazing the skin and then soothing with his tongue. He brushed his hand over her stomach, leaving it on top of the shirt and slowly moved up her side, brushing lightly against the side of her breast. 

Betty whimpered again, twisting slightly so his hand brushed more against her. He brushed the back of his hand over her breast and groaned when the nipple puckered immediately. He brushed over it again and her hips jerked, her breath coming out in gasp. Jughead moved his hand down and brushed his hand between her legs.

“Please,” she whispered, lifting her hips, the ache a furious burn that she was desperate to ease. He lifted his head and watched her face as his fingers moved along the waistband, lifting it slightly, moving his hand under just a little. He paused and waited for her. She nodded and bit her lip and his hand slipped further and brushed over her, her lace panties already soaked with her arousal.

“Fuck,” he muttered against her mouth. He stayed on top of her lace and pressed with his fingers until he found the spot that made her hips jerk and a cry escape her lips. He started to circle lightly and pressed his mouth to hers and she kissed him hungrily as she moved with his hand, pressing against his fingers, desperate to ease the pressure that was building. 

Jughead moved his hand lower and cupped her, using his thumb against her and he could feel her start to shake. He lifted his head and watched her face. He pressed harder, moving his thumb in quick circles and she jerked against his hand. Her panties were soaked and she may as well have been not wearing any. He left them in place and stroked her over them and he took her mouth as he moved his thumb harder against her and soon her body stiffened and she cried his name into his mouth as she fell apart. He lifted his head and watched the pleasure cloud her eyes and face and he had never seen anything so beautiful and arousing. 

Betty felt like her world exploded as pleasure so intense ripped through her, she thought she might have died. Her nails dug into his arms and she clenched her thighs around his hand as she shuddered through her release. Jughead rested his forehead against her shoulder and gently brushed against her as her body began to calm down. She hid her face against the side of his and willed her breathing to slow. After a while he lifted his head and smiled down at her and she blushed red and closed her eyes.

“A little too late to be shy now,” he teased softly. She opened her eyes again gave him a little smile. “Are you ok?” he asked gruffly. She nodded and bit her lip. 

“You were really good at that,” she whispered, blushing some more. 

“I’m a quick learner I guess, only went to one or two classes,” he said with a laugh. 

Betty noticed his body was still tense and she felt him pressed against her hip, still aroused.

“Do you want me to….” She started and he shook his head. 

“I’ll be ok,” he said gently. 

“I want to help you,” she said shyly.

“Next time,” he whispered. She smiled at that. 

“You sure?” she asked. He nodded and brushed her hair back. 

“You need to get to sleep, you have class tomorrow,” he said softly. 

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered and went into her room and then the bathroom. She changed and freshened up and quickly returned to his bed. “Do you want me to go back to my bed?” she asked.

“No, I like you here,” he said gruffly, pulling her up against him. It didn’t take her long and Betty was sleeping. Jughead lay there, still dazed and slightly aroused. He didn’t think she was quite ready to help him out yet and he took some breaths to calm his body down. It took a while but soon he relaxed against her and hugged her close. He decided he didn’t care if he had to sleep aroused for the rest of his life, he wasn’t sleeping without her again.


	8. My Girl

Betty spent the next day in a daze of happiness and frequent blushing. Every time she thought about Jughead and what had happened in bed she started to blush and was getting weird looks from classmates and co-workers. Half way through her shift her phone dinged in her pocket and she pulled it out and glanced down at it.

J: I miss you. Get your ass home already.

Betty bit her lip and grinned.

B: I’m working you goof lol 

J: I should have gone to work too. Sucks in this apartment now without you.

B: My shift is over in an hour and I’ll be home.

J: ok :)

She spent the rest of her shift smiling and watching the clock and then she hurried home. She entered the apartment and found him sprawled on the couch, typing away on his laptop. He looked up and smiled.

“Hey you,” he said happily. She smiled and dropped her bag and shrugged out of her coat and boots. “Have a good day?” he asked. 

“Yes, kind of dragged though. I couldn’t concentrate on anything.”

“Why is that?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. Betty blushed again and he winked at her. 

“Be right back,” she said with a flustered sigh and went to change. The apartment was warm and a sweater and jeans just weren’t comfortable so she pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She chewed her lip for a minute, thinking maybe she should put pants on, then decided that she felt like teasing Jughead. She walked casually into the kitchen to get herself something to drink and felt his eyes on her legs and bit back a giggle.

“You want something to drink?” she asked, rummaging through the fridge. She grabbed a bottle of water for herself and held it up.

“Sure babe, thanks,” he said smiling.

“Babe?” she repeated with a laugh. She walked over with the bottles of water and handed him one. He grabbed her wrist and tugged her down on his lap. She wrapped her arm around his neck and he hugged her to him, nuzzling her neck. 

“You smell good,” he murmured, his lips brushing her skin. 

“I smell like Molly’s,” she giggled, then gasped when his teeth grazed her skin. “Like whiskey and beer.”

“Mmmmmm, that’s my girl,” he said teasing, his tongue licking her earlobe. Betty went still and he eased back and looked at her. His mouth only inches from hers.

“Am I your girl, Juggie?” she asked in a whisper. She shivered as his hand ran gently up her bare leg. 

“Do you want to be?” he asked softly, his eyes warm and smiling. Betty bit her lip and nodded. He leaned in and kissed her softly, pulling away slowly, tugging gently on her bottom lip as he did.

“Do you want me to be your girl?” she asked breathlessly.

“More than anything,” he said against her mouth. She leaned in and they kissed languidly, long minutes of slow, tongue teasing, arousing kisses. When he finally pulled away her lips were swollen and his hands were under her shirt. 

“You think cause I’m your girl you can feel me up now?” she teased and then shivered when his hand brushed the side of her breast.

“I felt you up pretty good last night and that was before we established you were my girl,” he said, his eyes laughing and teasing. She turned beet red and he laughed out loud and kissed her again. Betty hid her face in his neck and he hugged her close. 

“I liked it,” she whispered.

“I know,” he said with a smile, his voice sexy and gruff.

“Did you like it?” she asked, whispering again. 

“Yes,” he breathed against her ear. She hid her face further and he chuckled. “You ever going to stop blushing and hiding?” he asked softly. Betty sighed and slowly leaned back. His eyes were filled with mirth and heat and she thought he looked incredibly sexy and she told him so.

“You are very sexy,” she said and smiled when finally, she got his blush to surface again.

“You think so?” he said with a shy smile. She giggled, once again marveling at how he can switch between confident to blushing and shy so quickly. 

“Oh yes,” she breathed, her own shyness making her hide her face again. 

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to manage to have sex, we can barely talk dirty to each other,” Jughead blurted and she went still. His statement hung in the air and they both just sort of absorbed it. He sighed and eased her back so he could look at her face. “I mean, we….” She didn’t let him finished and pressed her mouth to his. He didn’t need to be convinced and he kissed her back eagerly. His hand ran along her leg again and gripped her thigh as he deepened the kiss. She moved and straddled his lap, pressing closer, all shyness evaporating for the moment. He groaned into her mouth when she moved against him and his body reacted instantly. 

Jughead’s hand cupped her neck, his thumb tilting her face back as his mouth moved down her neck, latching on the wild pulse he found and sucking lightly before licking over her collarbone and placing soft kisses back up to her ear. She gasped when she felt his tongue lick over her earlobe and his teeth bite softly.

“Juggie,” she moaned, pressing against him. He gripped her hips and leaned back, looking at her face as he slowly dragged her over him. She shuddered, her eyes hooded and hazy. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she whimpered when he did it again. Her phone suddenly buzzed on the end table and she jumped in response. He growled in frustration and let his head fall to the back of the couch.

“These fucking phones hate us,” he muttered. She flushed and reached back to pick it up. 

“It’s work,” she said with a frown. She answered it and Jughead leaned in and kissed her jaw. She frowned at him and leaned away, trying to listen. He did it again and she bit back a groan when he bit lightly at her. She got through the call without making an idiot of herself and when she hung up she smacked him lightly on the chest. “Don’t do that again,” she said laughing and he tickled her in response and didn’t stop until she was laying under him on the couch gasping for breath.

“What did work want?” he asked, kissing her neck.

“They want me to work on Sunday evening. Some big game is on and apparently it will be busy. I told them I would.” 

“Mmmmm,” he said in response and she had no idea if that was due to his acknowledging what she was saying or because he was busy licking her collarbone.

“Juggie?”

“Yes?”

“Feed me.” He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. She grinned at him and he kissed her on the mouth. He sat up and pulled her up with him. 

“What you hungry for?” he said, his eyes raking over her.

“Food,” she said laughing.

 

Later that evening, after Jughead took a shower, he was heading to his room when he stopped and backed up a step. Betty was laying on her bed, under the covers, reading a book. He walked into her room and over to the bed and pulled the covers off her. She looked at him startled and let out a yelp when he reached down and picked her up and turned toward the door.

“You know,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. “You can always climb into my bed.” 

“Mine’s more comfortable,” he said with a grin and carried her there. He had to do some fancy maneuvering around the tight corners of the narrow hall and bedroom doors but he got her there without injury and dropped her onto the bed. She gave a little bounce and glared at him. 

“That was so romantic,” she said, blowing hair out of her face. He grinned at her and flopped down beside her. “You’re a dork,” she said laughing as he pulled the covers back and rolled her off them until she was underneath. He hauled her up against him and she snuggled close.

“The light’s still on in my room,” she said with a sigh. He shrugged, causing her head to bounce and she shifted so it lay on his chest, his heartbeat steady and strong in her ear. After a few minutes, it started bugging her that the light was on and she pulled away and ran to turn it off. She ran back and jumped back in and grabbed his arm and pulled it around her. He gave her thorough kiss and then closed his eyes to sleep. He was so warm, she was falling asleep only minutes later.

 

Sunday night at Molly’s was a nightmare. The bar was so full, all staff was working and the crowd was rowdy. She had no idea what game was on TV and she didn’t care. She was too busy trying to get drink orders filled and trying to not lose her shit on perverts who kept saying stupid crap to her. Jughead showed up around 9:00 and took a seat at the bar to keep her company when she had a minute here and there to relax. 

“You look tired hon,” he said during one particular minute. 

“This shift is kicking my ass,” she sighed. “I’m going to say no next time they ask me to work a game night. My brain is so tired already.”

“How much longer you got?” he asked as she handed him a beer. 

“An hour.” She answered as she headed to the other end of the bar to fill a drink order. When she had another minute she came back over and set another beer in front of him. 

“Trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me, Cooper?” he asked with a grin.

“Maybe,” she said with a saucy smirk and he laughed and pulled her across the bar for a short wet kiss. 

“No making out while you’re working,” James, one of the managers yelled. Betty straightened up and grinned.

“Here that, Jones? Stop pawing the workers.” She gave him a wink and walked over to a customer. Jughead chuckled as he sipped his beer. Damn, she was hot. He wanted her more and more every day and it was getting hard to hold back. He was falling head over heels and there was no denying it anymore. He wanted Betty Cooper to be his completely.  
She came back a while later and he winked at her, hoping his thoughts weren't all over his face. As they chatted, a couple of guys walked up to the bar.

“Hey babe, how about a beer?” One of them said with a lecherous grin. Jughead didn’t much like hearing someone call his girl ‘babe’ but did his best to ignore it. Betty sighed and handed the guy a beer with a smile. The guy leaned over and leered at her. “That’s a pretty smile you got there blondie, got anyone that smile is for?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Betty said firmly, glaring at the man. Jughead smiled.

“Well that’s too bad. I can think of a whole lot of fun things you could do with that smile.” Betty took a deep annoyed breath and Jughead felt the anger burn in his gut. He didn’t want another guy thinking dirty things about Betty. She looked over at him and gave him a small reassuring smile, letting him know she was ok. He nodded and kept sipping his beer.

It didn’t take long for the guy to get back to his obnoxious behaviour.

“Hey blondie,” he yelled when she was down the bar from him. “I need another beer.” Betty walked over and handed him one and he grabbed her arm before she could pull away.  
“How about you have some fun with me after work and I’ll make you forget all about whoever you smile for,” he said, drunkenly.

“Hey!” she yelled. “Let go.” Jughead got up and walked over to him and put his hand on the man’s chest, applying a bit of pressure. 

“Why don’t you back off a little,” he said quietly but firmly. The man looked at him in surprise and dropped Betty’s arm and then he smirked.

“You the guy she smiles for?” he asked with a snort.

“I think you’ve had enough, why don’t you get on out of here,” Jughead suggested, trying to control his anger.

“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business,” the man scoffed.

“She is my business,” Jughead snapped.

“Ahhhh, so you are the guy,” the drunk laughed and shoved Jughead back. 

“Juggie, it’s ok,” Betty said quickly, noticing James watching the exchange.

“Ohhhh Juggie,” the guy said laughing. “What kind of stupid name is that?” he asked, shoving again when Jughead moved too close. He moved back to the bar and leaned over it, reaching toward Betty and she backed up away from him.

“Back the fuck off,” Jughead snapped again, pulling the guy back from the bar. The drunk got angry then and took a swing at Jughead. He managed to move out of the way and shoved the guy back into the wall next to the bar.

“Jughead!” Betty yelled. She ran around the bar and over to the struggling pair. James showed up at the same time.

“Hey, knock it the fuck off!” he yelled, trying to get between them. Jughead pulled back and the drunk managed to get in a swing and it clipped Jughead’s jaw. He shoved back towards him and James pulled him back and shoved Jughead toward the bar. Another worker showed up and grabbed the other man by the shirt and started dragging him toward the door. James turned to Jughead.

“Jug, out!' he said, pointing to the door.

“Don’t kick out Jughead,” Betty yelled angrily. “He was trying to protect me.”

“He knows the rules, Betty. There’s no fighting in here!” Jughead straightened his shirt angrily and threw some cash on the bar for his drinks. 

“It’s ok Betty, he’s right, I know the rules. Finish up here, I’ll be at home.” He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and left. Betty could tell he was furious and she turned to glare at James.

“Maybe if you’d do your fucking job, he wouldn’t have had to get in that guys face,” she snapped. James glared at her.

“Finish your shift and go the fuck home,” he snapped back. Her shift thankfully ended 20 minutes later and she clocked out and grabbed her coat and headed out the door. The worker who watched the door activity paused to look around and make sure there was nobody there to bother her as he always did and she ran across the street and into their building. She let herself into the apartment and shrugged out of her jacket and boots and headed down the hall. Jughead was lounging on the bed, reading a book. She leaned against the door frame and smiled at him.

“Hey Juggie,” she said gently. He smiled at her and she could tell he was still upset. “I’m going to take a quick shower and join you in a bit,” she said with a smile. He nodded and she finished in record time and pulled on some pajama shorts and a tank top and joined Jughead on the bed. She lay across the bed and rested against him, her head leaning on his chest. She rested her arm across her stomach and he took her hand, the other one touching her hair. 

“You’re pretty hot when you’re looking out for me, Juggie,” she said with a smile. Some of the tension left his face and he smiled down at her.

“I don’t like other guys thinking nasty shit about you,” he said quietly. “Or touching you.” She lifted her hand to his face, noticing the faint bruise on his jaw.

“Does that hurt?” she asked softly. 

“A little,” he said with a soft smile.

“Thank you for looking out for me,” she whispered.

“Always,” he said, his hand moving to her bare leg. She smiled and moved her leg away, teasing him. “If you don’t want your legs felt up, stop wearing shorts around me,” he said with a grin. She giggled and tried to move away and he moved suddenly and she was on her back and he was leaning over her.

“You going to let me take advantage of you now?” she asked with a grin. 

“I would love to,” he said with a smile. “But you look exhausted and you have class tomorrow and I’m starting earlier than usual. Problems again,” he said with a roll of his eyes. Betty touched his face and brought it down to hers and kissed him softly. Her hand slipped into his hair as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. He kissed her slowly, deeply, his tongue stroking against hers and she moaned, her body shivering. He pulled back and she could tell he wanted to go further, the need there in his eyes, his breathing heavy. 

“We should sleep,” he whispered and she nodded in agreement and he shifted them so they were on the pillows and under the covers. She fell asleep with his hand under her shirt, making small circles on her stomach.

 

The following Friday, after a long week of work and school for both them, Emma and Justin were due to come over for the evening. Betty had no idea if they had figured out their issues already, as they had both been busy working and hadn’t been around much. She put on a pretty flowy dress, despite the cold and snow outside and set about getting dinner ready. Jughead came home just after six and once inside, he stopped short and stared at her.

“You look beautiful,” he blurted, his eyes raking her from top to bottom. 

“Thank you,” Betty said with a small blush. The way he was looking at her made her ache. They had been so busy all week that they had shared a few heated kisses and that’s about it. She remembered his touch and she wanted more. She walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss, her hand touching his cheek. He was freezing and she rubbed some warmth into his face. 

“Go take a hot shower and warm up,” she said with a smile.

“Wanna join me?” he said with a heated twinkle in his eye. Her stomach clenched and she flushed. 

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered. He swallowed at her answer, having not expected it and his eyes darkened a little. She backed away and went back to the kitchen.  
Jughead bit back a groan as images of Betty in the shower with him suddenly filled his brain. 

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath as he walked to his room. Betty bit back a smile, knowing exactly where his mind was. 

 

An hour later Emma showed up. Alone. Betty looked up and down the hall in confusion, wondering where Justin was.

“Why are you alone?” she asked. 

“Because Justin is an asshole!” she snapped, throwing her purse onto a chair. Betty sighed.

“Explain,” she demanded. Jughead came into the kitchen just then and looked around briefly and frowned when he didn’t see Justin. He was wearing a pair of black sweats and nothing else and Betty frowned at him.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked. “We have a guest.”

“I’ve seen him without his shirt on, Betty, I don’t care.”

“Well, it’s distracting,” Betty said with a flush. He winked at her and she glared. “We’re having dinner, Jughead, put on some jeans and a shirt.”

“First, I want to know where Justin is. What’s going on?” he asked.

“You! This is your fault!” Emma snapped at him. Jughead raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“What the hell did I do?” he asked.

“You went and told Justin to tell me how he feels!”

“And…..that’s bad because…..”

“Because he told me he loved me and then I asked if he was drunk….”

“Yes, I was there, Emma. That was almost 2 weeks ago. You guys haven’t figured this shit out yet?”

“No, because he won’t talk to me. He’s still convinced that because I didn’t swoon at his idiotic confession of text love in the middle of the dam day, that I must hate him and no matter what I say to him, he won’t change his mind.”

“Have you actually tried say, ‘I love you too, Justin’?” Jughead asked, taking a grape tomato from the salad Betty was making and popping it in his mouth as he leaned on the counter. She smacked him with the serving spoon.

“Well, no,” Emma sputtered. “We need to sit down and have a conversation dammit.”

“A conversation about what?” Jughead asked, confused.

“About him loving me!” Emma exclaimed. Betty bit back a smile, wondering if her friend realized how complicated she was making something that seemed already sorted.

“Emma, he loves you. You love him. Go fucking tell him and stop being an idiot.”

“Juggie, be nice,” Betty said with a frown. He winked at her and his eyes moved over her again. An ache started in her middle and she quickly looked away.

“You think so?” Emma asked, her face confused and unsure.

“Yes, you should go tell him right now.” Jughead said, moving away from the counter. He stood directly behind Betty, his body brushing hers.

“Right now?” 

“Yes, Emma. Right now,” Jughead insisted. Betty realized what he was doing and her heart started to race. Emma looked at Betty.

“What do you think?”

“Well, I think….” Betty’s voice faltered when she felt Jughead’s hand brush up her back. She felt him undo the zipper of her dress a few inches and his fingers brushed her skin. “Umm…yea….yeah….” she stuttered. “I think you should tell him.” Emma looked at her like she was wondering what her problem was, then she sighed and straightened and grabbed her things and walked to the door. She looked back at them.

“If this doesn’t work, I’m coming back here and kicking both your asses,” she promised “Put all this food away, I’m dragging him here tomorrow so don’t eat it. Order pizza.” With that, she turned and walked out the door. Betty turned quickly and stared at Jughead, her face flushed and her body heated.

“What are you….” Her words were cut off when his mouth covered hers. He started backing her out of the kitchen and down the hall and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back eagerly. Her body was on fire and she ached for him. Jughead wrapped his arms around her and lifted her against him, her feet coming off the floor. He walked them into his room and she felt the bed on the back of her legs and she sank back on it and he came down on top of her as her hands grasped his face and moved into his hair. 

Jughead’s mouth moved down her neck, pressing soft kisses and delicate licks of his tongue to her skin. Her hands moved down over his back, feeling the warm smooth skin, and she raked her nails lightly over him. He growled against her skin and she shifted so he settled between her legs. His mouth moved down and he kissed his way across the top of her chest, his tongue teasing the skin along the line of her dress top. Betty whimpered and felt her body begin to tremble. She ran her hands through his hair and tugged lightly, bringing his face up to hers again, wanting his kiss. His tongue sank into her mouth as he moved against her and she let out a ragged groan, her body instinctively cuddling his hardness against her. She felt like she was spiraling and she wrenched her mouth from his and gasped for breath.

“Juggie?” she whimpered, trying to gather her wits about her. His face was against her neck and he took a shuddering breath.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I just….God, you in that dress and you look so beautiful….I lost my head a little,” he muttered against her skin. “We can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop,” she said shakily. He lifted his head and looked at her. “I mean….i want….I want you to touch me again,” she whispered, her face burning with a blush. “If you want…”

“Jesus, yes I want…” he groaned. She felt him trembling and she reveled in it, knowing it was for her. He dipped his head and kissed her again, thoroughly, until she was writhing beneath him and his mouth moved down to her chest again and his hand moved up and gently brushed over her breast and she moaned and arched into his touch. Her nipple pebbled under his finger tips and he gently circled it, and she let out a gasp and a whimper. 

Betty felt like she was in a haze. His touch made heat pool between her thighs and she pressed against him and he pressed back, a low grown falling from his lips as they kissed across her chest. He moved slightly and his mouth was over her dress, along the edge of her breast and he paused, his fingers lightly squeezed and she arched, needing, wanting more. Jughead lifted his head and his fingers moved to the strap of her dress and he looked at her in question and she bit her lip and nodded and he slowly pulled it down until her bra was uncovered. Betty grew bold and pulled her bra strap down as well and his eyes darkened at her move. He took it and tugged gently until her breast spilled free and he stared down at her, his breathing harsh and heavy. 

She took his hand and moved it over her and arched into it with a soft moan. He squeezed gently and then ran his thumb over the dusty peak. He lowered his mouth to her skin and gently kissed the swell, his thumb still brushing over her. Betty whimpered and shifted, her hand running through his hair. She grew bolder and tugged gently, wanting his mouth on her. Jughead raked his tongue over the peak and she gave a soft cry, her back arching off the bed. He groaned and latched his mouth on her, suckling gently. 

“Juggie,” she whimpered, her hips lifting, needing friction, desperate for it. His hand moved up her leg and under her skirt and came to rest on her hip. He lifted his head, his eyes dark with desire and looked at her, her face flushed and shadowed with need. Betty stared at him, her breath coming in gasps. “Please,” she whispered, her hips writhing beneath his hand. He brushed his hand over her and he shuddered when he found her panties already wet with her arousal. He pressed deeper and she lifted to his hand. 

Jughead lowered his forehead to her shoulder as he pressed and stroked her. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to touch her, to feel her heat on his fingers. He brushed his fingers along the edge of her panties and lifted his head and looked at her. He moved slightly beneath the edge, his eyes locked on hers.

“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered hoarsely. She shook her head, her hand clutching his wrist, nudging him lower. He moved down and his fingers stroked over her, and he groaned. 

“Fuck, Betty,” he gasped. “You’re so wet.” Betty let out a sob of pleasure, unable to fathom the pleasure she felt as his fingers stroked over her. Her legs fell apart and she opened to him and he found her swollen nub and gently circled it and she dug her nails into his arms. Jughead watched her face as his hand moved lower and his finger teased at her entrance and she could barely form a coherent thought. 

“Juggie,” she moaned, looking at him wildly, her body feeling like it was going to snap. She felt him dip inside slightly and then pulled back. “Don’t….don’t stop,” she moaned, lifting her hips. He eased a finger into her and she winced slightly and he stopped. She lifted her hips and he pressed again, his groan spilling from his lips. 

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he whispered. He moved his thumb over her nub and slowly moved his finger, pulling out and pressing back in. She was tight and he didn’t add another, not wanting to hurt her. He could barely form a thought as he moved his thumb and fingers over her. He felt her legs start to shake and her body started to tighten and he took her mouth in a heavy kiss. She moaned, lifting to his hand and he moved his mouth down to her breast. He knew she was close and he took the nipple in his mouth and suckled as he pressed harder on her, his finger moving faster. She cried his name suddenly and her body clamped down on his finger as her orgasm hit her. Her nails dug into his back and arm and he growled against her breast as she rode her release, her body shuddering and shaking. He kept stroking until she calmed down and he wanted more than anything to make her lose control all over again but he slowly pulled his hand away. 

Betty hid her face in his neck, her body still trembling with pleasure. She felt his arousal press against her hip and she was determined this time to help him find his own release. She pushed against him and he moved back and was surprised when she reached down and brushed her hand over the front of his sweats. 

“Betty,” he began and she shook her head.

“I want to help you,” she pleaded, her eyes locked with his. “Please,” she whispered. He took a shuddering breath and nodded and she slipped her hand inside his sweats and brushed over the hard length in his underwear. She watched his face as she moved her hand and slipped it inside his boxers. Her fingers brushed over him and he let out a groan. She wrapped her hand slowly around him and her eyes widened slightly at the feel of him. He was hot, smooth steel beneath her hand and she marveled at it. She wanted to see him but was too shy to go there. 

“Show me what to do,” she whispered, squeezing lightly. Jughead reached down and put his hand over hers, slowly moving her hand over him. He let out a ragged breath at the movement and she caught on quickly and his hand pulled away and she worked him slowly. He shifted suddenly so he lay on his side next to her and his hand brushed over her again. She gasped and her eyes flew to his face. He was watching her, his eyes dark with desire.

“Can I?” he asked, and she nodded. She groaned as his fingers once again began to stroke her and she lifted her head and kissed him, moving her hand faster as her body started to spin again. “Fuck,” he muttered, feeling his body tighten already. “I’m not going to last long,” he gasped against her mouth and it thrilled her that she could get his body to respond so quickly. He circled her swollen nub quicker and she moaned as she felt her body hover on the edge again. Betty moved her hand faster and he pressed harder in reaction and then she felt him stiffen and something warm and silky spilled over her hand just as her body fell over the edge once again. He gasped her name into her mouth and it was swallowed up by her sobbing cry of release. Neither of them moved their hands as their bodies slowly returned to normal, trembling and shaking in aftermath. 

Jughead reached down beside the bed and grabbed his t-shirt off the floor and pulled her hand from his sweats and gently wiped it. She was blushing so much, she felt like her face was on fire. Jughead smiled, not looking at her face. He threw the t-shirt to the floor and straightened her dress and waited for her shyness to leave. That was no easy feat. Finally he lifted her face and smiled at her and she gave a shaky smile back.

“You ok?” he asked gently, brushing her hair back. She nodded and he kissed her. “Was that too much?” he asked, when he lifted his head. He was looking worried. 

“No,” she whispered. “It was perfect and amazing.” He smiled and kissed her again. Long moments later, he pulled away and lay back on the pillows. Pulling her close to him.

“Can we do that again tomorrow?” she asked softly. He laughed softly and gave her a squeeze. 

“Absolutely,” he said gruffly. They were quiet for a while.

“I’m really hungry,” she suddenly muttered. 

“Well, there’s an entire meal out there,” Jughead said laughing. They got out of bed and went into the kitchen. Betty grabbed the entire bowl of salad and a fork and went to sit on the couch and dug in. Jughead started laughing and grabbed the platter of chicken and joined her.

“Movie?” she asked around a mouthful of salad. He grinned and turned on the TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr at lazydaizies


	9. A Riverdale Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hella long and is filled with small snippets that hopefully make for a not too confusing chapter lol enjoy! Not too many mistakes hopefully lol

Betty tinkered around in the kitchen and tried to work up the courage to ask Jughead a question. He was working on his latest article and she kept looking at him and sighing. Things had been going so wonderfully and they were into December already and Christmas was coming up and nothing had been said about the holiday. 

The last couple of weeks had been amazing and Betty had a constant smile on her face. Jughead meant everything to her and she couldn’t bare being away from him, even when they were working and at school. She was falling head over heels for him and it scared her a little because they never talked about their feelings. She knew he cared about her, that much was obvious. She felt it in every look, every kiss, every touch of his hands. God, those hands. They had fooled around a lot, almost every day and it never went further than touching each other and kissing and that was alright with her because she was so nervous about going further and he didn’t push her or insinuate it in any way. She could tell he wanted to though, she only had to look into his eyes, but she knew that step was as important to him as it was to her and they both wanted it to be right.

She sighed again and rinsed the last dish from dinner. She had insisted on doing the dishes so he could get his article done. She wondered if she would ever stop being shy and anxious around him when it came to talking about important things.

“Betty?” She jumped as his quiet voice reached her. She turned and smiled at him. “Come here,” he said softly. She immediately went to him and he put his laptop down and pulled her into his lap. “What’s going on?” he asked, brushing her hair back. 

“What do you mean?” Betty asked, swallowing nervously.

“You’ve spent the last hour watching me and sighing and looking like you want to say something. You can tell me,” he said gently. Betty sighed.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she said quietly.

“Ok, ask me.” Betty chewed her lip for a minute, studying his face.

“So, Christmas is coming up and I promised my parents I’d be home for Christmas….” Her voice trailed off.

“Ok….”

“I was just….I was wondering…..would you like to come with me?” she asked quietly. Jughead went completely still, clearly having not expected that.

“Like, to Riverdale?” he asked in surprise. She nodded, scared to say anything more. His silence scared her and she started rambling anyway.

“I know you’ve been gone a long time and I know you probably don’t want to…..i mean all the bad memories….and probably running into your father…..i just…I don’t want to spend Christmas without you Juggie, I can’t even bare to think about it…..” Betty stopped talking when she felt her eyes fill with tears. 

“Hey…hey, don’t,” Jughead spoke quickly, his thumb catching her tear on her eyelash.

“I shouldn’t have asked….” She whispered, hiding her face in his neck. He sighed and leaned back, forcing her to look at him.

“Yes, I’ll come with you,” he said softly. 

“You will?” she gasped in surprise. He smiled and gave her a soft kiss.

“I don’t want to be without you either. I’d go anywhere with you,” he said softly.

“Are you sure?” she asked, putting her hands on his face. 

“I’m sure,” he said smiling. He laughed at her delighted grin and then she was kissing him until he was breathless.

“I’m not even going to tell them,” Betty said with a giggle after she pulled away. 

“Going for shock value?” Jughead asked, laughing. “I’m down for that. The beautiful Betty Cooper brings home Riverdale’s long lost misfit.”

“You’re not a misfit,” she said with a frown. “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever known in my life and I can’t wait for everyone to see you and see how wonderful you are.”

“Well, you’re just biased because you like me,” Jughead said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Do I?” she asked, her voice soft and seductive. His eyes darkened and he gave her a look that made her insides turn to butter.

“You know when you use that look and tone of voice I just want to carry you to bed, right?” he said, nipping at her chin.

“Do you?” She did it again. He growled and stood up, somehow not dropping her and carried her down the hall. She giggled and bit his ear and he dropped her on the bed and came down on top of her.

A long while later, he lay beside her in just his sweats, his chest bare and she lay in her shorts and t-shirt that she had just pulled back over her chest. She wasn’t sure where her bra was, as he had taken it off pretty quickly. Their make out sessions were getting more and more heated and she wondered when they were just going to go all the way. Every single time she wanted to more and more. They were only using their hands on each other and their kisses went as far as the waist and then back up but eventually, she knew, things would go further. She rolled and cuddled into him, his arm coming around her immediately, pulling her as close as possible.

“Juggie?”

“Hmmmm?

“I was thinking…..I mean…..i know you’ve done this before, like with your girlfriends…..the touching….”

“Just with one and like, I think twice,” he said quietly. “And it was never like this.”

“Like how?”

“Well, not as…..enthusiastic. Either I wasn’t quite good enough yet, or something, maybe I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said with a chuckle. “But she never responded the way you do and honestly, I didn’t enjoy it much at all.”

“Well, I was just thinking…..i mean, we really enjoy it and it seems to get better all the time….and I just….well, I don’t mean to be presumptuous but I think….well, what I’m trying to say….if we…if we do more, like eventually, we might…..” She sighed and stopped talking, knowing she wasn’t making any damn sense. She took a breath and started again. “What I’m trying to say, is that…..well when we….if we…..Jesus why can’t I get this shit out!” she finished in an annoyed huffed. Jughead bit back a laugh and gave her a squeeze.

“Betty?”

“What?” she said in a huff.

“What are you talking about?” He knew what she was trying to get to, but it was fun to tease her.

“I went on the pill,” she suddenly blurted. Jughead went still and shit, he hadn’t expected that. He shifted slowly and leaned on his elbow, looking down at her. She looked frustrated and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them again and gave him a shaky smile.

“I just….I know that’s a really important step for you and for me as well and I don’t mean to assume that I’m the one you’ll want to do that with cause you told me you wanted it to be with that special someone…and I…well just in case….” Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she rolled into him, hiding her face.

“Betty?” he said gently, his hand coming up to cup her face, pulling her back so he could look at her.

“What?” she said, her voice quivering.

“You’re more special to me than anyone I’ve ever cared about in my whole life. You’re everything to me and that was good thinking on your part because I want it to be you, more than anything, I want it to be you.”

“Really?” she asked, a smile growing across her face. His blush was back and she smiled bigger. The man just had his mouth and hands on her and in her and he was blushing when telling her he wanted to have sex with her. Betty started to laugh.

“Well, I was hoping you’d say ‘Oh Juggie, I want my first time to be with you too’, not laugh. You’re kind of killing my boner here,” he said with a raised eyebrow. She laughed even harder.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “You’re just so damn cute. After everything we just did, you’re blushing.”

“Really Betty?” he asked with a smirk. “You couldn’t even get it out that you went on the pill,” he said, laughing with her. They laughed for a while and then got quiet. 

“So, we’re going to have sex eventually,” she said softly.

“Fuck, yes,” he said gruffly. She giggled and he rolled close to her. Her phone buzzed on the side table and she picked it up.

A: You home for Christmas?

“Archie wants to know if I’m coming home for Christmas.”

“Tell him you’re bringing your boyfriend,” Jughead said smiling. She giggled and sent the text.

B: Yes, I’m bringing my boyfriend.

A: Cool! I gotta make sure he’s a good guy! Who is he?

Betty laughed and showed Jughead. He snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Make sure he’s a good guy? I have to pass the Archie test?” he asked, laughing. 

“What should I say?” Betty asked, giggling. Jughead rolled closer and lay his head on her shoulder and wrapped his around under her arm and cradled her head. 

“Take a picture,” he said with a smile. Betty took the selfie and looked at it. It made her heart warm, and damn, he was cute. Jughead took the phone and sent the picture.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t!” He winked and handed her phone back. The reply came immediately.

A: WTF? Is that Jughead????? 

B: Maybe ;)

A: You’re dating Jughead???

Jughead took Betty’s phone and tossed it back on the table and his hands moved down her side and back up her shirt. She let out a gasp as his fingers brushed over her nipple, and he smiled against her neck when it instantly tightened. 

“Let him stew on it for a while,” he murmured, his mouth moving up to hers. She gave herself over to his mouth and hands as her phone and his both began buzzing with multiple texts.

A while later, after both Jughead and Betty had text Archie and told him to relax and not say anything, they snuggled in to sleep. Betty lay against Jughead, watching his face as he slept. She touched his face lightly and when he didn’t wake, she traced his mouth with her finger. He was so handsome, it made her ache. She had never felt like this in her life and she had never been this happy in her life. The thought of being with him for the first time was making her heart race and as nervous as she was about it, she couldn’t wait to take that step with him. She was falling in love with him, if she wasn’t already there and it warmed her right to her soul.

“Juggie?” He didn’t stir and as he slept, she became secretly brave. “I think I love you,” she whispered. She rested her head against his chest, her arm around him, hugging him close. As she drifted off to sleep, she didn’t notice the slow smile that spread across his face.

 

When Betty woke the next morning, she noticed it was just starting to get light outside. She blinked and then realized what had woken her. Jughead was placing soft kisses along her arm, his hand stroking over her hip.

“What are you doing?” she whispered with a smile. He never woke her before he went to work, knowing it was hard for her to fall back to sleep. Today he didn’t seem to mind.

“I wanted to see your smile before I went to work,” he whispered back, placing a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” she said, taking in the deep blue color in the faint morning light. 

“They don’t hold a candle to yours,” he replied softly. He kissed her then; a deep, but gentle kiss that seemed different than his other kisses that were usually filled with heat and desire. This kiss was intense and passionate and she felt like he was imprinting himself in her heart. It started to pound as his hands captured her face and he kissed her with so much longing, her eyes filled with tears. She was gasping for breath when he pulled away and she studied his face.

“Are you ok?” she whispered. His smile took her breath away.

“I’ve never been better in my entire life,” he whispered back. He got out of bed and kept smiling as he pulled on his work clothes. She sat up and watched him, her forehead furrowed in confusion. 

“You’re being weird,” she muttered while he got dressed. His grin only got bigger. He came over and gave her another thorough kiss and then he was gone.

“Such a weirdo,” she muttered with a smile. “That I happen to love more than anything.” She said the words out loud and her heart hammered in her chest. “I love him,” she whispered again, as if in awe. Betty felt ridiculously happy and scared at the same time. She didn’t want to just blurt it out to him, he still hadn’t said anything about love to her and she didn’t know if it would scare him or not. It scared her and she was the one who felt it. She sighed and rolled over to his side and hugged his pillow close. It smelled like him and helped her fall back to sleep.

 

The afternoon of the 22nd, they were headed to Riverdale on the bus. They settled in for the hours long ride and Jughead pushed up the arm rest between so she could snuggle against him. He was nervous and excited, having not been home since he left 5 years earlier. Betty had fallen asleep about an hour in and he was left alone with his thoughts.

It had been 2 weeks since she had whispered that she thought she loved him and he had walked around in a haze of happiness ever since. She kept asking why he was being weird and he would just laugh and kiss her. She may have said she thought she loved him but he had seen it in her eyes from the day since. She looked at him different; the love was in her eyes and he reveled in it. He couldn’t deny it any more, he loved her so much it hurt. He wanted to tell her, but he decided to wait for her. Sometimes it looked like she wanted to say it and then she would change her mind. He didn’t know if her fear was from her feelings or if she didn’t know how he felt. 

If he was going to be honest, he was a little scared too. 4 months ago he was looking for love and now he found it. With Betty Cooper. Sometimes he wondered if the universe was completely on his side, or if it was playing a joke on him. Like he would wake up and he didn’t really have the beautiful and sweet blonde in his bed and in his arms. He had never been this happy in his entire life and he didn’t know how to deal with it except to walk around with a stupid grin on his face all day long. Five years ago he had left Riverdale and had figured he would never see it, or her again. Now he was heading back to it, with her at his side. Life had turned into a dream and he was going to hang on as long as possible and hope he never woke up.

A couple hours later she woke up and stretched and lifted her head off his shoulder and gave him a beautiful smile.

“Hey, you,” he said softly and she smiled and kissed him. He wanted to deepen the kiss but she had a habit of crawling into his lap when he did that and as much as he loved it, he wasn’t sure it would go over well on a bus.

“I’m hungry,” she murmured when she pulled away. He grabbed his bag and handed her a granola bar and she opened it and bit into it with a sigh.

“So, what exactly did you tell your parents about who you’re bringing home?” He asked, handing her a bottle of water.

“I told her I was bringing the guy I’m seeing and when she asked for details I just told her to wait and see,” Betty said laughing. “It thrills me a little to have her annoyed at not knowing all the details. Are you nervous about it?” she asked.

“A little. I don’t think your mom liked me much back then,” he said quietly. “I doubt her opinion has changed much.”

“There wasn’t any reason for her not to like you. You weren’t even ever around our place unless Archie was with you,” Betty explained.

“Yeah, well I remember she didn’t like Archie much either,” Jughead said laughing.

“I don’t think my mother likes anyone,” Betty said with a sigh. “I argued with her last night over text. She said it’s fine that I’m bringing my boyfriend but you had to sleep in the guest room. Like seriously, I’m freaking 23 years old, I’m not letting her dictate who I sleep with. You are most definitely sleeping with me.”

“Or, I can just sneak into your room at night like a naughty teenager,” he said, leaning over to nuzzle her neck. Betty giggled and turned her head to kiss him. His tongue flicked over her lip and she sighed and pulled away.

“Stop it,” she whispered. “I don’t want to embarrass myself on a public bus.” He chuckled and gave her one last quick kiss and leaned back in his seat. “Do you think you’ll go see your dad while we’re in Riverdale?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ll go see him, but you have to come with me,” he said, taking her hand.

“Of course, I would love to,” Betty said with a smile. She snuggled back into his side and they chatted and napped for the hours it took the bus to get back to their past. Jughead nudged her awake when the Riverdale sign came into view. She smiled and squeezed his hand as they drove past it and Jughead suddenly felt anxious. He had left all this behind and it felt weird and strange. His life was so drastically different from what it had been here. There were few happy memories here, save for the ones he had with Archie and Betty. There were only a handful of good memories with his father and he had put everything behind him and had built a new life for himself. 

“Are you ok?” Betty asked quietly, noticing his hand holding hers a little tighter than usual. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to come,” she said, chewing her lip nervously. 

“No, it’s ok. I think I might be overdue for a visit anyway. I’m glad you’re with me though, I don’t know if I could do it without you.” Betty touched his face.

“Juggie, i…..” she paused and she didn’t have to say it, he could see it in her eyes. She was still very nervous, that much was obvious. “I’ll be right by your side the entire time, ok? We won’t do anything without each other, I promise.” 

“Ok,” he said happily. God, he loved her. Once they got to the bus station, Jughead rented a Jeep for their stay and they threw in their bags and left the parking lot. 

“Your parents still live next to Fred?” he asked, heading in that direction. 

“Yup and I’m sure my bedroom is still exactly how I left it. I was actually in my own apartment with a couple roommates for two years before I came to New York. I just couldn’t live at home anymore. My mom never changed my room after I left.” It took 15 minutes to get there and Jughead parked on the driveway and they sat for a few minutes before getting out. It was just after 9:00 pm and there were still a few lights on in the house.

“You ready?” she asked softly. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said with a laugh. “Although your mom always scared the shit out of me. Maybe I should go stay with my dad,” he said with a laugh.

“No way. If you go, I go with you. I’m not spending any time away from you. I meant what I said.” He smiled and gave her a soft kiss and they got out and walked with their bags to the front door. Jughead hung back slightly when the door flew open and Alice Cooper came out on the porch and wrapped Betty in a big hug.

“Oh Elizabeth, it’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed with a happy smile. 

“Hi mom,” Betty said with a smile. Alice gave her a once over and then stepped back and looked past her. 

“Well, let’s see this boyfriend of yours. Come on up here,” she said with a smile on her face. Jughead walked up the stairs and Alice Cooper froze. She looked at Betty in astonishment and then looked back at him. “Jughead Jones?” she exclaimed.

“Hey Mrs. Cooper,” he said slowly. Betty immediately moved to his side and took his hand. 

“I’m sorry, you’re dating Jughead? The Jughead that left Riverdale? FP Jones’ son Jughead?” Alice sputtered. 

“Yes, yes and yes,” Betty said with a happy smile. Alice narrowed her eyes and folded her eyes over her chest. “Mother, either you let us in or I go to a hotel. This is not a stand-off or negotiation. I go where he goes, so decide.” The woman let out a sigh and stepped aside and Jughead followed Betty inside. He had only been in this house a few times in the past and it basically looked exactly the same. 

“He will be staying in the guest room,” Alice huffed.

“No, he won’t,” Betty snapped.

“Betty, it’s ok,” Jughead said quietly. 

“No, it’s no!” she said angrily. Jughead stepped closer and leaned close and made sure only she heard him.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be alone for long,” he promised. She sighed and tried not to give away what he said and glared at her mother. 

“So how did this happen anyway?” Alice asked when they had settled down on the living room couch. 

“He’s my roommate,” Betty said quietly.

“What? You never told me the roommate was Jughead,” Alice said surprised.

“Yes, well, I was avoiding you overreacting,” Betty grumbled. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions about what goes on in my life and I didn’t want you to interfere,” Betty explained. Alice sighed and looked at Jughead. Really looked at him from top to bottom and he squirmed a little under her scrutiny. 

“Does he treat you well?” she asked.

“Of course,” Betty snapped.

“I care about her a lot, Mrs. Cooper, I would never hurt her,” Jughead said firmly.

“Yeah, that’s what all men say in the beginning. What do you do in New York?”

“I work construction,” he answered and Betty sighed. 

“Mom, just stop with the third degree. Jughead is wonderful and he takes care of me and he treats me like a queen. I’ve never been happier.” Jughead smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Alice Cooper gave them a look and sighed.

“Well, it’s late, so let’s get you guys settled. Betty you can stay in your room of course and Jughead, come, I’ll show you the guest room.” Jughead looked at Betty and winked and Betty bit back a smile and watched him follow her mother up the stairs. She grabbed her bags and headed to her own room and as she figured, it looked exactly the same. She changed into pajama shorts and a tank top and sat on her bed. A few minutes later her mother opened the door.

“Its good to have you home, Betty,” she said leaning against the doorframe. “Your father will be home tomorrow, he’s out of town on business.” Betty nodded and said nothing.

“So, Jughead Jones?”

“Mom, just please be nice. He’s done amazingly well for himself in New York and he’s in such a happy good place and he really is the most amazing and loving boyfriend and i….i really care about him. A lot. Don’t make trouble.”

“I’m not going to make trouble Betty. Just make sure you know what you’re doing. Those Jones men are nothing but trouble,” she said. Betty said nothing, completely disagreeing with her frown. “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Alice said and left, closing the door behind her. Betty lay down under the covers and let her eyes wander around the room. She tossed and turned for an hour, unable to fall asleep without Jughead laying warm beside her and she was just about to throw the covers off to go to him when her door opened silently and he slipped into the room. He locked the door and came over to the bed and slipped in beside her. She moved into his arms immediately and pressed her mouth to his. He took her face in his hands and she moved on top of him and he kissed her hungrily, a deep wet kiss that had her trembling in no time. He pulled back and he stared at her, his thumbs stroking her cheeks.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered and she bit her lip and smiled. 

“So are you,” she whispered back. His hands moved to her waist and slid down over her backside and he pressed her to him and she whimpered, moving against his arousal. They were getting good at this, the touches, the brushes against each other, their hands learning what the other liked. “You feel good Juggie,” she whispered against his ear and he moved against her again. His hand moved lower and slipped in the bottom of her shorts, sliding over her smooth skin. 

“This is like an 8th grade fantasy come true,” he said with a chuckle against her mouth.

“What is?” she breathed, brushing against him and eliciting a groan from him. 

“Making out with Betty Cooper in her bedroom,” he said with a cheeky grin.

“You fantasized about making out with me?” she said with a light flush.

“Pretty much the entire year of 8th grade,” he said laughing.

“You should have told me,” she giggled. 

“Yeah right, you were too busy making heart eyes at Archie,” he said with a grin. Betty rolled her eyes.

“God, I was such an idiot. You should have definitely told me. Or kissed me. That would have for sure swayed me,” she said with a sigh. “So what happened after 8th grade, no more crushing on me?” 

“No, I still crushed on you, but I started hiding myself in writing and forced myself to concentrate on that.”

“I wish I could turn back time and make life happier for you,” she said sadly. 

“Hey, stop that. We were kids Betty. Yeah, life wasn’t the greatest but you couldn’t have changed anything for me, except maybe be a bit of sunlight in a dark place. I’m so happy now and especially now that I have you,” he took her face again and gave her a soft kiss. “You are everything to me.”

“You’re everything to me too Juggie,” she said softly and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and hugged her close. 

“Let’s go to sleep,” he said in a whisper. “Don’t want to wake up mama Cooper with your loud lusty moans,” he teased.

“Shut up,” she laughed and snuggled close, still laying on top of him. He didn’t move her and they fell asleep, content and happy. 

 

When Betty woke the next morning, Jughead was gone and she knew he had slipped back to his room before the house woke. She quickly got dressed for the day and went downstairs to the kitchen. Jughead sat at the table drinking coffee and talking with her dad. She was so surprised, she just stood and stared for a minute.

“Hey dad,” she finally managed.

“Oh, hey there,” Hal Cooper got up and hugged her and sat back down. “ I got in early this morning and was just catching up with Jughead here. He tells me you two are dating,” he said with a smile. Betty nodded and walked over to Jughead and leaned into his side, his arm coming around her waist. “He was just telling me about his job. Seems like he did alright for himself in New York. Glad you have him around to take care of you,” Hal said. Betty smiled and relaxed and wished her mother was as cheerful about it. Alice Cooper happened to come in the kitchen just then and started making breakfast, Betty moved to help.

“You slept well?” Alice asked glancing at her.

“Yes, very well, thanks.” Alice rolled her eyes and turned to Jughead.

“I moved your bags to Betty’s room. I’m not an idiot, I know you snuck in there last night. Keep it clean guys,” she said and went back to making food. Betty shot Jughead a grin and saw him hide his smile in his cup of coffee.

 

After breakfast, Jughead stood in front of the fireplace looking at old pictures of Betty. She had always been beautiful and he still couldn’t believe she was his. She came up to him and hugged him.

“Were you going to see your father today?” she asked softly.

“I was thinking about it. What do you think? Call him or just show up?”

“Well, we shocked my mom, may as well shock him too.” Jughead smiled and nodded. They hung around till around lunch and then headed to the South Side. Betty felt Jughead tense as they neared their destination. She took his hand and squeezed gently. They reached the trailer park and soon were parked in front of his childhood home.

“I’m guessing he still lives here, as that’s what he told me last time we talked,” Jughead said softly. Betty sat quietly as he looked around.

“Did you know I was homeless for a while before I moved in with Archie for that little bit?”

“What?” she gasped, her eyes filling with tears. He let out a laugh and then sighed.

“Yeah, I slept at the drive-in until it got torn down and then under the stairs of the school until Archie discovered what was going on.”

“Juggie,” Betty said sadly, a tear slipping down her cheek. He smiled and lifted his hand and wiped it away.

“It’s ok. The family I moved in with when I transferred was actually really great. It wasn’t all terrible. Shall we?” he asked, nodding his head toward the trailer. She smiled and they climbed out of the jeep. 

When FP Jones opened the door after Jughead’s knock, Betty thought he was going to pass out from shock.

“Jughead??” he gasped and grabbed his son in a tight embrace. Jughead hugged him back and they stood there for a while, not letting go. Betty smiled and brushed her hand down Jughead’s back. Maybe coming home wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “Please, please come in,” he exclaimed and ushered them inside. He looked at Betty and smiled. “Who’s this?” 

“This is Betty Cooper, my girlfriend,” Jughead said proudly.

“Betty Cooper? As in Alice’s daughter? How do you have a girlfriend in Riverdale?”

“She actually lives with me in New York,” Jughead explained.

“Oh, ok. Well good, that’s great,” he said with a smile. “Would you like some coffee?? I’m sorry the place isn’t that nice. You should have called, I’d have cleaned up,” FP said, running a hand nervously through his hair, making it stand on end. Betty bit back a smile and realized how much alike they were. Hair that didn’t cooperate, nervous gestures; they were definitely related.

“It’s fine dad and sure, coffee would be great.” FP set about making a pot and Jughead started walking around the place, touching all the things that were still in the same place they had been all those years ago. 

“You do anything special to my room?” he asked. 

“Nope, still the way you left it. You’re welcome to have a look if you want. Maybe take a few things?” Jughead smiled at Betty.

“Want to see where I used to hide myself?” he asked with a chuckle. She followed him down the narrow hall and they stepped into a room that seemed smaller than the ones in their apartment. It was the room of a 15 year old boy who loved to read. Books were everywhere and there was an old laptop sitting on the bed. Jughead picked it up and ran his hand over it. He wondered what was still on it. He looked around and saw his old backpack and picked it up, putting the laptop in it. He took a few other items and put them in as well. Betty walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You ok?” she asked softly. He smiled down at her and kissed her softly.

“Yeah. I’m glad I came.” His phone buzzed and he pulled it out and looked at it. “Archie wants to know if we want to meet him and Veronica at Pops for dinner?”

“V’s in town? I thought she was in Paris? I would love to go!” Betty exclaimed. Jughead replied and put the phone back in his pocket.

“Coffee’s up,” FP yelled from the other room and they wandered back out. Jughead and FP were soon engaged in conversation and laughter and Betty watched the tension leave Jughead. He had been so nervous and it was clear that FP had missed his son a lot. They talked all afternoon over beers and pizza and Betty curled up on the couch with a book she found in Jughead’s room and let them have their time. Jughead kept stroking her leg and smiling at her and letting her know without words that he liked that she was there. Betty’s phone rang suddenly and she glanced down at it and saw it was Emma.

“I’m gonna take this outside,” she said with a smile and headed out to sit in the jeep to talk to her. FP watched Jughead and smiled.

“You really love her, don’t you,” he asked with a smile. Jughead looked at him in surprise. His dad chuckled. “It’s all over your face, boy.”

“Yeah, I really do,” Jughead said smiling. “She’s amazing.”

“Hold on to that one, she’s seems like a keeper,” FP said seriously. 

“I don’t plan on letting her go, ever.” Jughead said quietly, his heart in his eyes.

“How did you end up dating her?” FP asked. Jughead told the story and his dad laughed. “Well, that was some kind of crazy destiny shit, now wasn’t it.” Jughead smiled and nodded. Betty came back inside and Jughead pulled her down beside him and wrapped his arm around her. She pulled up her legs and leaned into him. 

“Emma says Merry Christmas and behave,” she said laughing. They spent the rest of the afternoon there until it was time to meet Archie and Veronica. FP hugged his son for long minutes and had a mist in his eyes when he pulled back. So did his son.

“I'm really proud of you son, and come around again,” he said quietly and Jughead promised he would. They headed to Pop’s and Betty smiled at Jughead.

“You had a good time?”

“I did,” he said taking her hand. “Thank you for inviting me to come with you,” he said softly. He kissed her hand and she leaned over and kissed his cheek. When they got to Pop’s, Archie and V were sitting outside on a bench waiting for them. Betty stepped out of the jeep and Ronnie ran to her and gave her a huge hug.

“Oh my god, it’s good to see you!” she exclaimed. 

“How long are you home for?” Betty asked smiling and hugging her back. “It’s good to see you too.”

“I’m home for a couple months and if and when I can convince Archie to join me for a few months in Paris, I’ll be going back,” she explained. Veronica had a fashion company starting up there and spent her time going back and forth between there and Riverdale. Archie and Jughead were busy embracing and fist bumping on the other side of the jeep and Veronica turned Betty away from them and leaned in.

“You’re dating Jughead?” she exclaimed? “Archie told me and I just couldn’t believe it. I mean I hardly remember the guy as he moved to the southside after I moved to Riverdale but I remember him from pictures and he was a little cutie back then; even if he did seem always sad. Wow though, how freaking hot is he now? Tell me everything!” Betty giggled and pulled away. 

“Let’s go inside and eat first, I’ll tell you everything later.” She walked around the jeep and Archie wrapped his arms around her and swung her around.

“Welcome home Betty!” he said happily.

“Hey, paws off my woman,” Jughead said with a laugh, even as he took her hand and pulled her to his side. Archie laughed.

“She looks good on you, man,” he said with a twinkle in his eye and much to Betty’s delight, Jughead blushed and Archie laughed even harder. They went inside and after an enthusiastic greeting from Pop, they sat down and ordered food. 

“So, you two,” Archie said with a smile. “Like, what the fuck.” Betty flushed and Jughead pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her hair. “You look really happy Jug. New York agrees with you.”

“I think Betty agrees with him,” Veronica said with a smile.

“He was already happy when I got there. New York definitely agrees with him," Betty said.

“Look, I know you guys are roommates, but seriously, how did this happen?” V asked. Betty glanced at Jughead and he shrugged.

“It just did,” he said laughing. “I couldn’t even tell you.”

“Never ask a guy that,” Betty said laughing. 

“Ok, then you tell us,” Archie said with a laugh. She looked at Jughead and smiled.

“I have no idea, it just happened,” she replied. 

“Good grief,” V said with a roll of her eyes. Jughead chuckled and gave Betty a squeeze.

“I just saw what a wonderful and sweet and amazing guy he was and I started….” Betty stopped talking, her face red. 

“You started what? Lusting after him?” V asked with a grin. Betty blushed harder and Archie and Veronica started laughing.

“Ok, let’s move on,” Jughead said with a sigh. “You all don’t need the details.” Their food showed up and they ate their burgers and drank their milkshakes and it seemed like old times. Although if Betty remembered correctly, they had only ever sat there all together a couple times before Jughead had moved. Jughead and Archie got up and went to say hello to a couple of old friends they saw in the parking lot and Veronica smiled at Betty as she watched Jughead through the window.

“Oh my god Betty, you’re so in love with him, it’s actually hilarious,” she said laughing. Betty blushed and smiled.

“Yeah, I am,” she whispered. “He’s so great Ron, it’s like I can’t even breathe when he’s not with me.” 

“Awww, that’s so cute. You two are so cute. And God, Jughead sure blushes a lot. How adorable is that?” Betty nodded and laughed.

“How is he in bed?” V asked with a wicked grin. Betty turned beet red and lowered her eyes.

“I…we…I mean….we haven’t….”

“Seriously? You guys haven’t had sex?” Veronica said in shock.

“It’s not like that,” Betty said quickly. “We’re just waiting and we’re really nervous about it,” She explained.

“Betty? Does he know you love him?” V asked. Betty shook her head, biting her lip.

“I’m too scared to tell him.”

“I don’t think you need to be scared, that boy is about as head over heels as I’ve ever seen,” Veronica said with a smile. Betty smiled happily and watched as Jughead and Archie came back inside. They spent the evening laughing and talking before they parted ways with hugs and smiles and promises to see each other once more before they went home.

Back at the Cooper residence, Jughead and Betty came into the house and found music playing in the living room but nobody was around. Jughead held out his hand and smiled at Betty.

“Dance with me, Cooper,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. She placed her hand in his and he twirled her around the living room and she laughed in delight. He dipped her back and leaned down and kissed her just as Alice came in the room.

“Well hi there,” she said loudly. Jughead almost dropped Betty and managed to hang on and straightened her up.

“Geez mom, you scared us!” Betty exclaimed. 

“You two looked cozy there,” Alice said with a raised eyebrow.

“We were dancing mom,” Betty said with a roll of her eyes.

“And kissing,” Jughead added. Betty elbowed him in the side and Alice glared at them and left the room.

“She’s never going to like me, is she,” Jughead said laughing.

“Who cares, I like you,” she said with a smile. “And now that you’re ‘allowed’ in my room, let’s go to bed,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. After a bit of naughty fun, where Jughead had to hold his hand over Betty’s mouth to quiet her moans, they fell asleep.

 

On Christmas morning, everyone gathered around the tree to open gifts. Polly was there with the twins and her boyfriend, who Betty really liked. He seemed to love her sister and the kids and she was thrilled for them. Polly made her and Jughead kiss in front of the tree wearing silly santa hats and took the photo with Betty’s phone. They were all busy opening gifts and Alice looked at Jughead and Betty and frowned.

“Do you two not have gifts for each other?”

“I have a gift for her, I just would rather give it to her in private,” Jughead said softly. 

“Me too,” Betty said smiling. Alice rolled her eyes and they smiled at each other.

“Do you mind waiting till tonight?” he murmured in her ear. Betty shook her head and kissed his cheek. 

Even though it was Christmas, the day just dragged for Betty and she couldn’t wait to be alone with Jughead. In the evening, while everyone sat around in the living room with hot chocolate, Hal asked Betty to sing The Christmas Song. Jughead hadn’t realized she could sing and even thought she blushed red while doing it, she sang the song and he was entranced. Her voice was sultry and beautiful, almost haunting and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. He loved her so much, he couldn’t seem to think. He didn’t notice Alice watching him, her gaze going from him to Betty and back to him. A small smile appeared on her face and a satisfied look came over her face. She decided every woman on the planet needed a man to look at them the way Jughead looked at her daughter.

 

Finally, an hour later, Betty and Jughead were alone. She sat on the bed in a tank top and shorts and he wore his pajama pants and was settled on the bed in front of her. He handed her a wrapped box and she smiled and opened it. It was a jewelry box and she opened it slowly and gasped down at the beautiful necklace nestled on velvet. The chain seemed to come down and cross over into a knot and it shimmered in the lamp light. A diamond was tucked into the void of the knot.

“It’s an eternity knot,” he said quietly. Betty lifted her eyes and her eyes filled with tears. Eternity. The word held a promise that made her heart pound and her body flush with heat. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered against his neck. She leaned back and smiled, wiping at her eyes and handed him his gift. “It’s not as spectacular as this, but I really thought you’d like it,” she said in a hushed voice. “I got Archie to help with some of it,” she explained. His face was curious and he quickly opened the package.

It was a beautiful leather bound memory book with his name inscribed on it. Inside was filled with pictures of them in their youth. There was even a few where they had their arms around each other and for whatever reason Betty hadn’t remembered them but by the smile on Jughead’s face, it seemed that he did. The last half of the book was empty and she had written a small note. ‘The rest should be filled with new memories. Hopefully memories of us.’ Jughead took her gift from her hands and his and put them on her bedside table and took her face in his hands and kissed her with all the love and passion he had in his heart. They fell back on the bed and their kiss soon became hot and wet and had her gasping for breath.

He braced on his hands, his mouth moving down her neck and she tilted her head back to give him better access as his lips and tongue burned into her skin. He shifted and his hands moved over her, hungry and eager and she felt the change, the need, the desire, the want. They moved over her breasts, gentle and slow, down to her stomach, slipping under her shirt and then down skimming over her center , down her leg and back up. He brushed against her again and she whimpered and lifted to his touch. This was different than their other times. She could feel it. He wanted her and she wanted him. In every way. 

“Juggie,” she gasped when he pressed his arousal against her, his hands digging into her hips. “Juggie, wait…” she moaned and he instantly stilled and lifted his head. He stared down at her and she saw the raw hunger in his eyes. His body was trembling and she ached for him. “I really want to,” she whispered and his eyes darkened. “I just…” she sighed and lifted a hand to cover her eyes.

“It’s ok Betts,” he whispered. “We don’t have to. I would never rush you.”

“No, Juggie, it’s not that,” she said, quickly shaking her head. “I really want to, so much that I ache all over. I want you so much I feel like if I don’t have you soon I’m going to burst, it’s just….” She paused and he brushed the hair off her face. “I don’t want to do it here. It will be our first time, Juggie and I don’t want to do it where we have to try and be quiet and worry about anything like that. I want to do it at home, in your bed.”

“Our bed,” Jughead whispered, resting his forehead on hers. 

“I want to do it in our bed and not worry about someone hearing or having to face anyone the next day while we have all these new feelings and everything. I want it to just be us. Is that ok?”

“Of course,” Jughead said with a smile. “I couldn’t agree more. I just went a little nuts over that beautiful gift, I couldn’t help it. You have no fucking idea how much I want you right now.” Betty blushed and he laughed softly and kissed her.

“Juggie, when did you start….i mean…how long have you…?”

“When did I start falling for you?” he asked softly. She bit her lip and nodded. “When I opened the door and you cried all over me.” She let out a happy delighted sob and then she was kissing him until he couldn’t think of anything but her. When he felt the heat begin again he pulled away and dragged the covers over them.

“I don’t know how the hell we’re going to manage to wait, but if we sleep right now, we’ll at least make it till morning. Hopefully,” he added and she giggled and snuggled closer. Despite the fire that was still running through their veins, they managed to fall into a happy sleep.


	10. Made for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smutty Smut

It was New Years Eve. Jughead and Betty had gotten home from Riverdale the day before, with enough memories to last them a while, but they did promise everyone they would be back for a visit in Summer. Jughead was happy he had gone. It was nice to now have memories of Riverdale that weren’t sad or upsetting. He had seen his father twice more in the few days they were there and it had been a wonderful time of healing for them. He hoped in the next few months to see Jellybean and maybe even his mother.

They had gotten home really late the night before and had fallen exhausted into bed and had slept most of the morning away. Now it was New Years Eve and it was time to celebrate. And he had a lot to celebrate. Over the Christmas break he had gotten a text from his boss stating that he had been given a promotion to site supervisor and with it came a substantial raise. He was so grateful he could have cried. And Betty. He had fallen in love with Betty Cooper and he still couldn’t fathom that she loved him back. Sure they hadn’t said it yet but he was determined that tonight was going to be the night that he would tell her. The heat between them had simmered all Christmas and he wanted her with an intensity that shook him. 

They had chosen to forego the party at Times Square and stay instead at Molly’s and celebrate the new year with their friends, who thankfully also wanted to avoid the large crowd. They had arrived at the tavern around 9:00pm after spending the afternoon watching movies and snuggling. They hadn’t made any move to go past some heated kisses but the need and tension was in the air and they both seemed to know that tonight was most likely the night. He was scared shitless. Not of the actual act of having sex but he was scared he would screw it up somehow or she would be disappointed. He knew his fears were ridiculous but he couldn’t help but worry. He also didn’t want to hurt her. He knew enough to know what to do but until he was actually doing it, he figured anything he knew wasn’t going to help. 

He sat now, on a chair, his elbows resting on his thighs, bouncing a pool cue on the floor between his legs and watching Betty and Emma giggling over a hilarious badly played game of darts. Justin sat down beside him and handed him a beer. 

“So, how’s things with that one,” Justin asked with a smile, waving his beer in Betty’s direction. “You guys have a good Christmas?”

“Things are really great,” Jughead said smiling. “And yeah, Christmas was amazing. Got to see my father a few times over the week and it was really great catching up. Its nicer than phone calls. How’s things with Emma? You guys figure that out already?” Jughead asked laughing.

“Yeah, we’re good. That day she came over, which she says you told her to and added she thinks you were just trying to get rid of her cause you looked like you wanted to bone Betty,” Justin said laughing. “She marched in and started yelling at me and honestly I have no idea what she was going on about so I just grabbed her and kissed her and when she finally shut up she said she loved me and then we hit the sack.”

“Geez, don’t waste any time, do you,” Jughead muttered. Justin studied him curiously. Then he grinned.

“You haven’t slept with her,” he said laughing. Jughead flushed and glared at him before looking back to Betty. “What the hell are you waiting for?” Justin asked.

“I….nothing,” Jughead said with a sigh, bouncing the pool stick.

“You scared?”

“That’s the second time you’ve asked me if I’m scared in regards to her.”

“Well are you? Look man, I knew you’ve never been with a woman, but it’s painfully obvious that you’re in love with her and if I’m reading her right, she’s clearly in love with you and I’m just wondering what you all are waiting for?”

“Nervous I guess,” Jughead said quietly. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this with you.”

“Who the fuck else you gonna talk to?” Justin asked. “Look, let me tell you. You already have the advantage because you’re not a stupid 16 year old trying to get laid. You love her and this matters to you so you know it’s going to be good, regardless if you two aren’t 100% awesome at it at first. You guys have fooled around right?”

“Yes,” Jughead said with a sigh and roll of his eyes. 

“Like far enough so you both….you know….” 

“Yes,” Jughead said, starting to sound annoyed.

“Hands and mouth, or just hands?”

“Jesus Christ, Justin!”

“Well?” Jughead rolled his eyes and said nothing.

“Well, clearly just hands by the looks of your frustration,” Justin said with a laugh. “Look, you’re already a step ahead because I’m assuming you guys have already learned to control your reactions, for the most part, so again, you’re way ahead of where my dumb ass was when I went all the way. I was 17 and didn’t have a fucking clue and lasted about 2 seconds much to her disappointment,” Justin said laughing. Jughead laughed at that and hoped to god that didn’t happen to him. Justin was right, he did have some control but not that much because whenever she touched him, he went nuts.

“All I can say is this, lots of foreplay, maybe get her there a couple times so she’s satisfied in case you blow the fuse too early and go slow when it gets down to it. And use your mouth, girls love that; and guys like doing it to be honest.” Jughead sighed and drank his beer. He guessed he should be happy Justin was so willing and open with the advice, even if it was fucking weird to talk about that with him.

 

Betty stood with Emma, trying to at least hit the board while playing darts but she kept looking over at Jughead sitting and talking to Justin. He looked so good she wanted to go jump him right in front of everyone. He kept smiling and winking at her and her entire body was humming already. She was going for it tonight. She didn’t care anymore and threw her nerves aside. She just couldn’t wait anymore. She wanted him so much it hurt. 

“Well, I’m guessing with the way you two are still doing the eye fucking that you haven’t actually done the deed,” Emma said laughing. Betty blushed red and glared at her.

“That was rather blunt,” she muttered.

“Well my God, the sexual tension between you two shy virgins is so dam thick I’d need a sword to cut it. Please, please have sex with him already. Make a man out of him Betty,” Emma teased, her eyes twinkling. “Do what I did with Justin, I marched into his apartment, kissed him till he couldn’t breathe and dragged him to bed.”

“Is that really what happened?” Betty asked, laughing. 

“Well, no. I went over there, yelled at him, he kissed me and we ended up in the sack. But the point is, we ended up in the sack. You need to hit the sack Betty.” Betty sighed and took a swig of her beer. 

“I’m just really nervous,” she explained.

“Yes, I get that and Jughead being the sweetheart that he is, would never ever push anything on you and let you guide where this goes, so girl, enough of this. It’s time to get you some,” Emma said firmly. Betty laughed and looked at Jughead. Yes, she definitely wanted some of that.

 

At midnight, Betty was standing in the circle of Jughead’s arms, counting down with the crowd and yelling an excited ‘Happy New Year’ and he kissed her until she was breathless. When she pulled back, he smiled down at her.

“You look beautiful,” he said happily, tucking her hair behind her ear. They sat down again and the house band got on stage. It was open mic night and people were invited to come sing.

“We can play anything in this binder, so anyone who wants to come up and sing a song, just pick from here and we’ll back you up,” the guitarist said. They sat through a few ear bleeding renditions of various songs from various drunks before Emma groaned and held her ears. 

“Oh my God, I can’t take it. Doesn’t anyone know how to sing?” she asked.

“Betty can,” Jughead suddenly said. Betty looked at him in shock and shook her head.

“No way,” she said quickly.

“You can sing?” Emma asked excited.

“Yes, she has a beautiful voice,” Jughead said smiling, obviously proud of her.

“Please Betty? Just one?” Emma begged. It took some convincing and after having another beer to fuel her courage, Betty agreed. Jughead smiled as she walked up on stage and started paging through the book. She handed a song to the band and stepped in front of the mic. Her face was red before she even started but when the music started, she closed her eyes and began to sing. 

And in your eyes I see ribbons of color  
I see us inside of each other  
I feel my unconscious merge with yours  
And I hear a voice say, "What's his is hers"

I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you

Betty opened her eyes then and found Jughead’s and he smiled, winking at her. She lowered them again quickly and continued.

I was afraid to let you in here  
Now I have learned love can't be made in fear  
The walls begin to tumble down  
And I can't even see the ground

I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you

She looked at him again and when she continued singing, her eyes didn’t leave his and his heart started to pound. Emma smirked and nudged Justin who was grinning as well.

Falling like a leaf, falling like a star  
Finding a belief, falling where you are  
Catch me, don't let me drop  
Love me, don't ever stop

So close your eyes and let me kiss you  
And while you sleep I will miss you  
I'm falling into you  
This dream could come true  
And it feels so good falling into you

Falling into you  
Falling into you  
Falling into you

The song ended and Betty stepped back, swallowing nervously and Jughead had a look on his face that made her stomach clench and her heart pound. She loved him so much, she needed to tell him. The crowd was cheering and a few people started yelling for another one. 

“One more, one more, one more,” the crowd was chanting and she looked back to Jughead, wanting so much to go to him and he just smiled and nodded, indicating he would like another one as well. She smiled and went back to the book, having seen a song she knew at the beginning of the book and she decided she needed to sing it. She gave the paper to the band and took her place again. This time, her eyes locked with Jughead and didn’t waver. She needed him to know how she felt.

I see forever when I look in your eyes  
You're all I ever wanted  
I always want you to be mine  
Let's make a promise till the end of time  
We'll always be together  
And our love will never die

So here we are face to face  
And heart to heart  
I want you to know  
We will never be apart  
Now I believe that wishes can come true  
'Cause I see my whole world  
I see only you

Jughead felt his entire being go still. Betty’s eyes never left his and people in the crowd were turning to see who she was looking at. He didn’t notice anyone, his eyes on the woman who had stolen his heart. She was telling him she loved him and his heart felt like it was going to stop, it was hammering so hard.

When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes

A hush fell over the tavern as one by one, everyone stopped what they were doing and began watching the woman on stage sing her love for the man who’s eyes were locked with hers. Jughead felt like a moth to a flame as he got out of his chair and began to move toward her. Emma and Justin sat holding their breath, in awe with the rest of the crowd over what was taking place. 

I've looked for you all of my life  
Now that I've found you  
We will never say goodbye  
I can't stop this feeling  
There's nothing I can do  
'Cause I see everything when I look at you.

Jughead stopped in the middle of the room and held her gaze. He didn’t care about anyone else in the room, all he could see was her and the love shining in her eyes. Her voice became a little shaky for the last part and he knew she was feeling as overwhelmed as he was and he smiled a slow smile while she finished the song.

When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes

Betty finished the song and stepped back and the tavern was so silent a person could hear a pin drop. She didn’t care. She stepped off the stage and walked over to him and stopped when her front brushed against his. He smiled down at her, his breathing unsteady and his eyes heated and filled with love and desire.

“Juggie?” she whispered.

“Yes?” he whispered back.

“Can we go home?” He didn’t need to be asked twice. He grabbed her hand and their jackets when they hurried past a smirking Emma and Justin and left the tavern, leaving behind a roaring cheering crowd. They got back to the apartment and walked inside silently. Betty shrugged out of her jacket and boots and stood shyly, waiting for him to do the same. He walked over to her and took her face in his hands, and she noticed they trembled. 

“Betty?” he said softly.

“Yes, Jughead?”

“I am completely and hopelessly in love with you,” he said, his voice shaking and gruff. Her eyes filled with tears and her smile took his breath away.

“I love you so much,” she whispered, her arms coming around his neck and her hands pulling his head down to hers. He felt her kiss in his soul. His hands cupped her face and he kissed her hungrily, trying to brand her with his mouth. 

“I love you,” he gasped against her mouth, before diving in again. His hands moved down over her backside and he hauled her up against him, lifting her and her legs came around his waist. He started walking toward the bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. She wrapped her tongue around his, moaning into his mouth while her hands tugged at his hair. When they were in the room, he slowly lowered her to the floor and she pulled her mouth from his, resting her forehead against his shoulder, taking deep gasping breaths.

Jughead stroked her back, his breathing as heavy as hers. They both pulled back at the same time and Jughead smiled gently at her. She flushed and bit her lip, knowing they were about to finally do what they had been aching for. They had fooled around a lot but it was mostly at night, in shadowed darkness and neither had seen much of the parts they had been touching. Betty had seen him peeking out of his boxers and she was pretty sure Jughead hadn’t seen anything, as he never removed her panties and his face was always by hers or at her chest when he was stroking her. She didn’t really know why they hadn’t looked at each other, most likely just due to shyness.

“Are you nervous?” he asked softly, making slow circles on her lower back. She nodded and let out a little sigh. “I am too,” he admitted with a small smile. She looked up at him and his eyes were heavy with want, but gentle and she lifted up to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her tongue over his lip and he opened to her with a groan and he pulled her up against him. The kiss was filled with passion and desire and it wasn’t long before she was trembling and pressing herself against his obvious arousal. She felt his hands slip under the hem of her sweater and gently stroke the skin at her waist before moving up and gently brushing the sides of her breast. 

Betty moaned and twisted so his hand brushed over the front and he covered her, giving a gentle squeeze. He cupped her and his thumbs brushed over her nipples and she whimpered into his mouth arching into him. She suddenly felt over heated and she pulled back, smiling shyly at him. 

“Take this off,” she whispered, tugging at her sweater. He smiled and grabbed the hem and pulled it up and over her head. She stood in her bra and her hands moved to his shirt, tugging at it and he smiled and lifted his arms and she pulled it up and over and her eyes drank in the sight of his hard muscular torso. She had seen it a lot and it never ceased to turn her on. She touched her hand to his chest and slowly ran it down over his stomach. His muscle shivered beneath her touch and he watched her silently as she explored him, both hands running over his smooth skin. When she lifted her eyes to his, they were filled with desire. 

Jughead pulled her close and he groaned at feel of her skin against his. His arousal in his jeans was getting painful and he was a little worried he’d pull a Justin and last about 2 seconds when it got going. He took some breaths and tried to calm himself. Her mouth found his and he forgot all about calming down as her warm wet tongue slid between his lips, her soft moans turning his brain to shit and all he could do was feel and taste her mouth. He wanted to feel every inch of her and his hands moved to the back of her bra and he slowly undid the clasp, and it sprang apart and a soft gasp fell from her mouth. His hands moved over her smooth back and he felt her shiver and press closer. 

After a few moments Betty gathered her courage and pulled back a little and put some space between. Jughead’s fingers slipped under her loose bra straps and he slowly lowered it down her arms, the garment falling to the floor. She turned red as he stared down at her, his hands moving to gently cup her. He chuckled at her blush.

“I’ve seen them before,” he reminded her with a smile, running his thumb over the bare peaks. She moaned softly and closed her eyes briefly.

“I know,” she whispered shakily. “But it was in the middle of a make out and I didn’t care much cause I wanted your mouth on them,” she said then blushed even harder at her own words. 

“Did you?” Jughead asked teasingly, brushing over the peaks again. She nodded quickly her breath coming in gasps. Jughead wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him, lifting her and dipping his head and dragging his tongue over a tight coral peak. Her ragged groan and her nails digging into his shoulder spurred him on and he wrapped his lips around her and suckled gently. She let out a sob and he tugged and licked and moved to the other. Betty felt the aching heat pool between her legs and she moved to rub against him, desperate for friction and relief.

“Juggie!” she cried in frustration, and his teeth raked her in response. She tugged on his hair and he lifted his mouth to hers and kissed her eagerly. He moved then and backed her to the bed and when her legs touched it, she sank down and he followed her, bracing on his hands and his mouth moved down her neck and once again moved to her chest. He spent agonizing minutes there until she was writhing and pressing frantically against him and his hands went to the button of her jeans. She whimpered and bit her lip and watched as he pulled down the zipper and his hands stroked along her leg. 

“Are you going to keep the lamp on?” she whispered. Jughead smiled at her.

“I was hoping,” he said softly. His fingers played with the waist of her pants and she nodded and he pulled them down and she lay on the bed wearing only a delicate pair of white lace panties. His eyes darkened as they raked her from head to toe. He swallowed, and she blushed under his scrutiny. He just looked at her, for long moments, his hands brushing over her skin, as if trying to memorize her. She started to tremble and she pushed against him and he stood while she sat up and her hands moved to his belt. She got it undone and opened his jeans and he touched her hair as she slowly pushed them down his legs. He stepped out of them and she stared at the front of his boxers. 

Betty felt her heart hammer in her chest as she stared at the hard line of his arousal in his boxers. She touched her hand to it, stroking her fingers along the length and he let out a small groan and then took a deep breath. She was so curious, and her fingers moved to the waist band of his boxers and his hands grabbed her wrists and stopped her. She looked up at him and smiled slightly at his flushed face. 

“I…you don’t…” he couldn’t seem to figure out what he was trying to say and she bit her lip.

“I want to look at you,” she whispered.

“Ok,” he whispered back, sounding a little unsure. She tugged on his boxers and when he sprang free, she let out a small gasp. He said nothing and her hand moved to touch him and he gritted his teeth to control himself as her fingers brushed over the tip, finding a drop of moisture there. She looked up at him and she gave a small shake of her head.

“It’s not going to fit Juggie,” she said anxiously. Of all the things he had thought she might say, that definitely wasn’t it. He couldn’t help the laugh that fell from his lips.

“It will fit,” he said, biting back another laugh.

“How do you know?” she asked quickly, sounding very worried.

“Because I’ve never heard of anyone not fitting,” he said, not able to hold back his laugh.

“Well, I once watched this episode of Sex and the City, and Sam was dating this….”

“Jesus, really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. He lifted her so she stood in front of him and she felt him brush against her stomach and despite her fear and worry, she got extremely aroused, the ache between her legs intensifying. “I promise it will fit,” he whispered.

“How do you know?” she asked again.

“Because every part of me was made for you,” he said and his words made the heat in her stomach to spread all over. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close for a kiss and he groaned as he felt her skin touch his from top to bottom. He moved then, pushing her back and bracing his knee on the bed as they fell to the sheets. She shivered and moaned and he pulled a thin sheet over them and moved her to the pillows, settling over her as his mouth moved heatedly over hers. 

Betty felt overwhelmed and she could barely breath as he completely flooded her senses. His taste, his smell, his touch, she couldn’t get enough and she started press up against him, desperate to feel him. Jughead kissed his way down to her chest and again spent long minutes licking and sucking and making her pull on his hair as the ache became unbearable. He kissed his way lower and his tongue stroked over her stomach, his teeth nipping at her and she whimpered and then she felt his mouth at the hem of her panties and she froze. 

“Juggie?” she whimpered anxiously. She squeezed her legs shut, trying to ease the ache and he rose up and leaned over her, looking down at her. “I…ummm….what are you…you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse. She bit her lip and her face felt like it was on fire. He was flushed too and he waitied for her, almost shyly.

“Have you ever…..” her voice trailed off. He shook his head. “But you want to now?”

“Yes,” he whispered. 

“Ok,” she said shyly, feeling like her whole body was blushing. He smiled and moved back down and she closed her eyes when his fingers hooked into her panties and slowly pulled them down. After a few moments and he wasn’t touching her, Betty opened her eyes and found him looking down at her. His fingers touched her as if he hadn’t touched her before and she whimpered, feeling embarrassed at the way he was staring at her. His hands moved slowly up her inner thighs and pushed them apart and she began to tremble at the dark hungry look that came over his face. He leaned down and she closed her eyes nervously and when she felt his tongue flick against her, she reacted violently and her hips bucked and she hit his forehead.

“Shit, sorry,” she exclaimed in mortification. Jughead started to laugh and she let out a chuckle as well, and the embarrassment faded a little. “God, we’re so bad at this,” she muttered.

“No we’re not,” he said, lifting up and bracing on his hands. She sighed and relaxed a little and smiled at him. “So, can I continue or are you going to try and knock me out again,” he teased. 

“Shut up,” she said with a sigh and he again lowered himself to her. She felt his tongue again and jumped only slightly and then gasped at the unbelievable pleasure she felt. He was unsure at first, but soon found spots that made her moan and lift to him and he stroked over her, groaning against her, the sound vibrating up inside her. His fingers touched her and he eased one into her as his tongue swept around and over her swollen nub. Betty couldn’t control her body and she clenched the sheets as her hips lifted to him. She felt the familiar start of her release and she gasped, her legs falling further apart. Jughead recognized the shaking of her legs and the tightening of her body and he pressed more firmly with his tongue and curled his finger and she shattered around him, her cries echoing around the room. He groaned when her release coated his tongue and he wanted more.

Betty lay gasping and she realized Jughead wasn’t stopping. Her body, sensitive and shaking arched off the bed as he suddenly slid another finger inside her. He moved them gently as his tongue stroked her and soon she was falling again, coming completely undone. Jughead latched his mouth to her and worked her through her second release, his body hard and aching and desperate for it’s own release. When she settled a little, her breath coming in shallow gasps, he moved up, kissing his way up her body. 

Betty couldn’t seem to stop shaking and she took deep breaths as he settled over her, bracing on his forearms, his mouth settling over hers. She was surprised to taste herself on his tongue and much to her astonishment, it aroused her to a fever pitch. She moaned and pressed against him. Jughead lifted his head and stared down at her. She could feel him shaking and she realized how he was holding back and not rushing for her. 

“Are you ok?” he whispered. She nodded and smiled softly. 

“That was amazing,” she said with a flush. 

“Yes it was,” he said smiling.

“You liked it?” He nodded, his eyes hooded and full of heat and desire. She felt him pressed against her and he held perfectly still, brushing her hair off her face. He kissed her, slowly, deeply, his tongue sinking into her mouth, stroking against hers. She ached once again, desperate this time for a different closeness. Her body wouldn’t be satisfied this time until he was inside her. She whimpered and started to move against him and she felt him shift and suddenly he was nudging against her and he groaned as he felt her heat brush against him. He took her face in his hands and held himself still, probing only slightly at her core. She looked at him, her eyes wild and desperate, wanting more.

“Are you sure?” he asked hoarsely. “God, please say yes,” he almost begged. 

“Yes, yes I’m sure,” she moaned. He didn’t move, watching her face, wanting to remember her desperate for him.

“I love you.” He needed her to know before he went further.

“I love you too, Juggie,” she whispered, her eyes getting misty.

“I’m never letting you go after this Betty. You’re mine and I won’t ever let you go,” he said, his voice shaking.

“Do you promise?” she whispered, a tear slipping from her eye.

“I swear on my life,” he whispered back. She nodded then and he eased into her. She felt the pinch of the stretch and winced slightly and he went still. He rested his forehead on hers and took a couple of breaths. He kissed her slowly and she began to relax and he pushed forward again. God she was so tight, he felt like he was going to explode any second and he gritted his teeth, determined to make it last. She whimpered, her nails digging into his skin and he paused again, this time stroking his tongue against hers, his hands gently caressing down her sides. 

Betty felt like crying. Not from the slight pain she felt but from the way he was so patiently taking his time to not hurt her. He was right, he did fit and her body slowly adjusted to his size and she began to tremble. He moved again and this time he gave a slight thrust and she let out a small gasp at the sharp pinch she felt and then he was still, completely buried inside her. His hands moved over her and his kiss overwhelmed her and soon the pleasure was greater than any discomfort and she began to move her hips and he grabbed them and held her still, a low groan falling form his lips.

“Shit, don’t do that,” he gasped.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, unsure of what she had done exactly. 

“I just need a second,” he said gruffly “or this will be over before it starts.”

“We started a while ago,” she said with another moan, her nails digging into his arms. “I need you to move Juggie!” she exclaimed. He took a shuddering breath and pulled slowly out and she gasped, feeling slight discomfort but so much pleasure she thought she was going to pass out. “Again,” she whimpered. Jughead pushed back in and she arched up against him, her body undisciplined and hungry. Jughead groaned and moved again and they moved awkwardly at first, but quickly they found a rhythm and he moved slowly, her body rising and falling beneath his. His mouth devoured hers and he knew he wasn’t going to last and he reached down and his fingers found her and stroked her and Betty moaned, her legs coming up and wrapping around him. 

It was an odd mixture of unbelievable pleasure and odd moments of discomfort but she paid no attention to it as her body built toward release again. Jughead’s fingers were rough and demanding and in only minutes she felt her body coil and tighten and she cried out as pleasure unlike she had ever known started to race through her. He gave her a final stoke and she shattered, her body clamping on him and Jughead stiffened, a low growl leaving his mouth as she pulled his release from him. His movements faltered, the rhythm gone as he pressed into her, emptying himself. She was wrapped all around him, shaking and crying. Arms, legs, her mouth on his neck, crying his name into his skin. Her own name fell from his mouth and he gasped as he collapsed on her, his arms no longer able to hold him 

Betty didn’t let go of him for so long, he was worried she couldn’t breathe. He tried to ease back and she tightened her grip. He was still a moment longer and then tried again. He looked at her face and saw her face streaked with tears but her eyes were sated and happy and shining. He smiled down at her and she blushed and hid her face.

“No, enough of that,” he said with a soft laugh. “No more being shy.” 

“Shut up,” she whispered against his neck. She finally looked at him and her cheeks were still flushed. “That was amazing,” she whispered.

“Most amazing thing I’ve ever done or felt in my life,” he said gruffly. “Are you ok?” She nodded and smiled. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, his concern evident on his face.

“Only a very little bit,” she reassured him. “You more than made up for it,” she giggled suddenly. He grinned arrogantly and she kissed him. Jughead eased off of her and she winced, feeling the discomfort again. They lay facing each other, the smiles seeming permanently etched on their faces. He touched her face and leaned in to kiss her and her hand slid into his hair. He pulled back and she touched his mouth.

“I’m so glad it was you, Juggie,” she whispered. 

“You were worth the wait,” he whispered back. They lay smiling, unsure of what to say or do. 

“Well,” she muttered after a while. “We finally did that.” Jughead started to laugh and she joined him and when they finally calmed down they were laying on their backs, staring at the ceiling. 

“We definitely need to do that again,” he said with a satisfied sigh. 

“Right now?” she wanted to know.

“Give me a few,” he laughed. She sat up and winced again. “Or a day,” he added, touching her back. 

“I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” she said softly. “Be right back.” Still as shy as ever, she kept a sheet wrapped around her as she ran for the bathroom. He chuckled under his breath and grabbed his boxers and pulled them on. When she finally came back she hurried over and jumped into bed and snuggled up to him. She had put on a new pair of panties but the rest of her remained uncovered. She pressed against him and he pulled the blanket over them and wrapped her in his arms.

“I love you,” she murmured and he swore he would never tire of hearing that.

“I love you too,” he said softly, kissing her forehead. “You ok?” he asked again.

“I’m perfect,” she whispered and moments later fell asleep. He lay awake a while, not wanting to fall asleep. It had been the most amazing night of his life and she was the reason. There was nobody else he could have ever hoped to share this with and he felt like the luckiest man on the planet. His life was officially perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured: 
> 
> Falling Into You - Celine Dion
> 
> When I Look into Your Eyes - Firehouse


	11. Finding Rhythm

Jughead woke the next morning to the feel of Betty’s fingers making slow circles on his stomach. He opened his eyes and found her watching him and he smiled. She smiled shyly, her face lightly flushed in the early morning light.

“Hi,” she whispered. 

“Hey you,” he whispered back. He lifted her chin and gave her a soft kiss and she sighed and snuggled into him. He noticed she had pulled on his t-shirt and he couldn’t decide if he liked her better that way, or without it, the way she had slept against him all night.

“You doing ok?” He asked softly. 

“Yes,” she said with a smile. She loved this about him. He was so caring and always making sure she was alright. He had been that way since the day she had arrived. Betty flattened her fingers on his stomach and used her whole hand to make the circles, loving the feel of the hard muscle and smooth skin. He grabbed her hand and stilled her, his breathing a little unsteady.

“Don’t do that,” he said gruffly, his voice tinged with arousal. Betty smiled and pulled her hand free, her nails raking him lightly. 

“Well, you know, Emma told me that once we start, it’ll be all we want to do for a while,” she said with a giggle. 

“Emma talks too much,” he said, grabbing her hand again. Betty wasn’t listening as she started pressing kisses over his chest. Jughead moved suddenly and she was on her back, smiling up at him shyly. “You’ll be too sore,” he said softly. 

“How do you know?” she asked.

“I read it somewhere, I think,” he said with a chuckle, even as he dipped his head and placed soft kisses on her neck, his hand slipping under her shirt and moving to cup her breast.

“Well, how long are we supposed to wait?” she wondered. “Cause I kind of want you right now,” she added, flushing a little at her boldness.

“It never said,” he murmured, as he pulled her shirt up and ducked down to tease her nipple with his tongue. 

“Juggie,” she moaned, moving restlessly against him as he took her in his mouth. The shirt came off followed by her panties and his boxers and soon he was nestled between her legs, his hand reaching down between them. 

“I’ll be careful,” he whispered against her mouth as his fingers found her. Jughead groaned when he felt the silky heat. “God, Betty, how are you so wet?” he gasped.

“I don’t know,” she whimpered. “It’s you, I’ve been thinking about having you again since I woke up.” Jughead took her mouth in a heated kiss, his tongue stroking into her mouth, rubbing along hers and she wiggled beneath him, lifting her hips to him. Jughead held her hips and eased into her and she took a breath at the mixture of pleasure and a hint of soreness. He paused half way and rested his forehead on hers.

“You good?” he asked hoarsely. 

“Yes,” she gasped and he pushed forward again until he was completely buried.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” he groaned, pulling out a little and sinking back in. The twinges of discomfort were nothing compared to the feel of him moving inside her and she arched wildly against him. Their rhythm was choppy and hurried as they moved eagerly together. “Wait, wait….” He groaned and stopped moving. She whimpered and bit his shoulder. “Just hold on a second, I’m about ready to finish here and I don’t want to do that just yet,” he groaned. Betty stilled and relaxed against the pillow. Her body burned for release and she touched his face, smiling up at him. He clenched his jaw, trying to gain control of himself. 

“We’ll get better at it,” she whispered with a smile. She pulled him down and kissed him, slowly arching up against him. Jughead groaned and reached between them and stroked his fingers against her, trying to hurry her along because he knew he wasn’t lasting long. Her tongue wrapped around his and he began to move slowly, holding her hips and trying to keep her still. She wasn’t having any of that. Her legs wrapped around him and she bucked against him and he moved his fingers quickly against her when he felt himself start to lose control. She started to shake and he thrust harder into her and then he felt his body betray him and his release started to rush through him.

“Fuck,” he groaned, unable to stop it. He pressed against her swollen nub and as he finished she finally released and he fell against her, even as her body still pulsed around him, her cry ringing in his ear. “Sorry,” he muttered when he could speak. 

“Whatever for?” she gasped, trying to regain her senses.

“I have terrible timing,” he said against her neck. He slowly moved off her and saw her wince in discomfort. “You ok?” he asked, brushing her hair back.

“I’m ok,” she said smiling. “Just sore. That was well worth it though,” she said with a giggle. He grinned arrogantly and lay on his back.

“We’ll get better at that,” he said with a sigh. 

“Well, it’s pretty fantastic already, so anything better is like the icing on the cake,” she said curling into him. 

“Well, I’m hoping at some point we can go longer than a few minutes,” Jughead said with a laugh. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. “You sure you’re ok? I know I keep asking, but I hate that it hurts you when we do this.”

“It didn’t hurt Juggie, it was just a bit uncomfortable and a lot less than yesterday. I’m good, even if I am sore,” she said with a smile. “I need to take a shower though, as much as I’d love to lay in bed all day.”

“Why can’t we lay in bed all day? It’s a holiday,” Jughead said with a smile. 

“Well, if we lay here more, then I’m just going to want to have sex again,” she said with a sigh. “Emma is right I think.” Jughead just laughed and sat up and threw his shirt to her. She slipped it on and got up and ran for the bathroom. He grinned as she held it down over her backside wondering if she will ever stop being so shy.

 

When she finished and he heard her go into the other room to get dressed he went and showered himself and when he was done, he found her in the kitchen making coffee. He sat on the counter and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit and bit into it. It was almost noon and Betty was trying to figure out what to make to eat. He reached for her and hugged her from behind, pulling her between his legs and leaning down to kiss her cheek. Their hands locked together and she leaned against him.

“I love you,” he murmured in her ear. His low gruff voice sent shivers down her spine and she wanted to stay in the moment forever.

“I love you too,” she said happily, pulling his arms tighter around her. 

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” he said, kissing her ear. “How did I get so lucky to have you love me?” Betty turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“I feel pretty lucky myself,” she said, brushing her lips against his. “Jughead Jones, sweet, kind, incredibly sexy man loves me and waited for me and gave himself to me and only me. How does any girl get this lucky?” 

“They don’t, just you,” he said cheekily. She leaned closer and kissed him, a long slow kiss that had him running his hands over her hips and pulling her tighter against him. One of their phones dinged and he growled against her mouth. “I swear I’m going to denounce them as friends soon,” he said.

“Who?” Betty asked laughing as she pulled away.

“Justin and Emma! That can only be one of them because my boss wouldn’t call or text on a holiday.” Betty smiled and looked around for their phones and saw them laying on the table in the living room. She wandered over and saw the text on hers. She picked it up and laughed.

“It’s Emma. They are coming over with sandwiches and drinks.” Jughead rolled his eyes and hopped off the counter. 

“They couldn’t fucking wait a day before harassing us?” he asked in a huff. 

“We have 10 minutes,” Betty said with a grin. “Wanna get a quickie in?” She flushed as she made the joke and he started to laugh.

“You’re so damn cute,” he said coming over and lifting her up against him, pressing a kiss to her mouth. “We’ve had sex twice and you still can’t tease or talk about it without blushing.”

“It’s only been like 12 hours. I can’t just get over shyness,” she said smiling. “You make me blush, I can’t help it.

“You make yourself blush,” he said laughing. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he moved and leaned her against the wall and she felt a surge of boldness and determination. She moved her mouth to his ear and raked her tongue over it.

“It makes me blush when I think about you kissing me and then putting your mouth on me and making me ache and when I think about you moving inside me, and my body starts to clench…..” she trailed off and leaned back and his face was flushed red even though his eyes simmered with desire. She giggled and he groaned and buried his face in her neck.

“You little shit,” he muttered. “Now I have to calm myself for the two showing up in a couple minutes.

“Why Juggie, I believe you’re blushing,” she teased. 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know you had such a dirty mouth,” he said with a half hearted glare. Right on cue, a few minutes later the security buzzer buzzed and Jughead hit the unlock button without bothering to check who it was. Betty laughed and sat on the couch. When the knock at the door sounded, he opened it with a glare.

“What’s wrong with you?” Emma asked, laughing. “We figured you’d be walking around on rainbows and sparkles.”

“Yeah, well you two have the worst fucking timing on the planet,” he said, letting them in.

“Were you in the middle of something?” Justin asked with a grin.

“Yes!”

“No,” Betty said at the same time. Emma and Justin looked at each other and laughed. Jughead sat on the couch next to Betty and Justin sat in the chair, pulling Emma into his lap. Betty smiled at them.

“So, how was it?” Justin came right out with it. Betty blushed and Jughead glared.

“No,” he said firmly. “This ends right now. No more sex stuff. I don’t want to talk about it and I’m certainly not giving you any details and the subject is now closed. Move on.”

“So, you had sex then?” Emma asked. Jughead groaned and lay his head back.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.

“We just want to make sure it went alright,” Emma said with a smirk.

“It went fine!” Jughead snapped. Emma looked at Betty.

“Did it?” she asked. Betty blushed and nodded.

“Seriously! Fucking stop!” Jughead said with a glare.

“Jesus you’re touchy,” Emma said with a roll of her eyes. She stood up and grabbed Betty’s hand, tugging her up.

“Let’s go have girl talk,” she said with a smile, tugging Betty along, despite Jughead’s protest. They went into Betty’s former room and sat on the bed and Emma smiled at her. “Seriously though, did it go ok? Are you ok?” 

“Yes, it was wonderful,” Betty said smiling. 

“He was gentle? Did it hurt?”

“He was amazing Emma, and it did hurt a little but not that much at all. This morning it felt even better.”

“Twice? Good for you girl,” Emma said with a giggle. Betty flushed and played with her fingers. Emma asked a few more questions and Betty answered them despite her embarrassment. When she was done with her interrogation, they went back into the living room and Betty sat next to Jughead again.

“So, final verdict, it appears Jughead is pretty good in bed,” Emma said with a smirk.

“Seriously Emma?” Betty exclaimed as Jughead choked and sputtered around the water he was drinking. Justin started to laugh and Betty pounded on Jughead’s back to help him along.

“You’re never coming here again,” he gasped when he finally got control of himself. 

“Awwww, stop being such a buzz kill,” Emma said laughing. “We’re proud of our two little virgins. Or should I say, non-virgins,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

“You’re an idiot,” he muttered, sitting back.

“Be nice Juggie,” Betty chided softly, leaning in to him and kissing his cheek. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the mouth, not caring about their audience. Jughead leaned back and looked at Justin.

“So where the hell is Colin these days? The guy hasn’t been around in weeks and rarely answers his texts. He deserting us?”

“Colin found himself a girl upstate. Every spare minute he has he goes there, so yeah, he basically did desert us,” Emma said with a shrug. “He’ll be around eventually.”

“Well, good for him then,” Jughead said with a smile. 

Justin and Emma stayed the rest of the afternoon and when dinner came around Betty insisted they stay and ordered Thai food to enjoy with them and they finally left around 9:00. Emma winked at her and gave her a hug before they left.

“Enjoy him,” she said with a giggle and then followed her own boyfriend out the door. Betty straightened up the place while Jughead made some phone calls about work the next day and soon they were settled on the couch to watch a movie.

“What are we watching today?” she asked around a yawn. 

“You tired?” he asked. “We can just go to bed if you want. We’ve had a pretty busy holiday and we’re back into the swing of things tomorrow.” 

“Ok,” she said and he turned the TV off and turned off all the lights while she went to the bedroom. She was pulling one of his shirts on as he came in and then climbed into bed. He smiled, liking that she no longer bothered with anything other than panties below the waist. He like to feel her legs brush against his. He stripped down to his boxers and lay down beside her, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled close and sighed in contentment. 

“I had a really wonderful holiday Juggie. I’m so glad I got to spend it with you,” she said softly, giving him a soft kiss on his chest. He squeezed her and smiled.

“Me too. Best Christmas I’ve ever had and I got the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“The memory book?”

“You.” Betty smiled at him and kissed him. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her back, slowly and thoroughly. When he pulled away she sagged against him and he grinned, pulling the blanket up over them and hugging her close.

“You not going to try and take my panties off?” she asked with a giggle. He chuckled and moved his hand down to squeeze her backside. 

“Not unless you really want me too,” he said softly. “Figured we’d wait until you aren’t sore anymore.”

“That sounds nice,” she said around another yawn. She was asleep a minute later and he stroked his hand over her back as she slept. He dreaded going back to work and not being with her all day, but it was back to the grind the next day and he already couldn’t wait to come home to her.

 

When Betty came home from her classes the following day, she saw Jughead had left his beanie on the table and she grinned and decided to have a little fun with him. She put it on and took a couple pics and sent them to him.

B: Hey sexy, forget something?

She put the phone down and went into the washroom to change into something more suitable for work when she heard her phone ding. She grinned and went to look at it.

J: Mmmmm, that looks a hell of a lot better on you. Still mine though, put it down ;)

B: You’ll have to come home and remove it from my head

J: Don’t tempt me woman, I’m thinking of removing other things as well.

B: Oh? Do tell…. ;) 

J: Well, I kinda want you naked, so you figure it out…..

B: *blush*

J: I bet lol 

B: I’ll make you blush later….

J: how so?

B: well, let’s just say, I don’t feel sore in any way at the moment…..

J: sigh

B: hehe

J: naughty little shit…..i gotta go, someone just asked me what the fuck I’m grinning at.

B: hahaha….see you soon, love you.

J: I love you :)

 

When Betty came home later from her evening shift, she found Jughead on the living floor, doing pushups. She slipped off her jacket and boots and went over and lay down on the floor and slid herself under him as he pushed himself up. He paused and she grinned up at him.

“Hi,” she said brightly. He grinned back and lowered himself again, his whole body flush against her. She was about to wrap herself around him when he pushed up again. She pouted and he came down again and gave her a soft kiss, then pushed up again. She shifted and when he came down again, he found himself between her legs and she grinned again and quickly wrapped her legs around him, holding him in place. He smirked and pushed up again, pulling her along with him. She giggled and held on and he gently lowered her down.

“You’re very strong,” she said, a little breathlessly.

“Not the scrawny kid you remember, huh?” he said with a wink. She didn’t answer, just pulled him close and kissed him, her hands going under his shirt to feel the hard muscle that was still clenched as he held himself over her. Jughead slowly sank down and lay over her, his mouth moving slowly over hers, taking control of the kiss with a flicker of his tongue and she opened for him, letting his tongue sink into her mouth. She moaned when she felt him press against her, hard and heavy. He pulled away suddenly and pulled her to her feet, taking her hat which was still perched on her head and threw it on the couch. He lifted her up and her legs went around his waist and he walked her to the bedroom, kissing his way down her throat.

“Maybe we should have dinner first,” she gasped as she pressed against him. 

“Mmmm yes, I’m very hungry,” he growled against her throat. “I believe you said something about not being sore,” he reminded her, depositing her on the dresser and raking his tongue over her neck and up to her ear. She whimpered and he captured it with his mouth, his hands digging into her waist. 

“The bed’s over there, Juggie,” she gasped, as his hands pulled her shirt over her head. He stepped back with a grin and she frowned in disappointment. 

“Make yourself at home then,” he said, his eyes heated, his eyes dark. She slipped off the dresser and held his gaze as she unbutton her jeans and slid them down her legs. She wasn’t sure where her courage was coming from but the look in his eyes made her bold and made her feel sexy. She stood in her bra and panties and walked past him to the bed, her hand brushing against the front of his jeans as she walked by. She lay down on her side and rested her head on her hand and patted the space beside her with a saucy grin. Jughead grinned in return and moved onto the bed, but climbed over her and lay behind her, his hand slowly running up her leg and over her hip, up her side.

His mouth moved over her shoulder, leaving the skin shivering and covered in goosebumps. His hand moved over her bare stomach and down between her legs, brushing against her ever so lightly. Betty turned, looking for his mouth, the ache in her stomach starting to spread. His kissed her hungrily and her hands moved to his shirt, pulling it over his head. Jughead moved between her legs, pressing against her and she lifted to him, needing the friction. His mouth moved down to her chest and he tugged the bra straps down until she spilled free. She moaned when his mouth covered her nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He stayed until she was bucking against him and then he began to move down. 

Betty bit her lip, knowing where he was going and remembering New Years Eve. It still made her blush but she whimpered eagerly, desperate to feel his mouth. He pulled down her lace panties and got rid of them and his hands slowly moved up the inside of her thighs, parting her. His mouth moved along the inside of her leg and she gasped his name when he bit her gently. He looked up at her and smiled and she managed a shaky one of her own.

“Shall I continue?” he asked, his voice husky and sexy.

“Ye…yes….” She stammered out and he winked and lowered his head. Betty let out a ragged groan as his tongue swept over her. He was more sure this time, flicking against her and swirling around her swollen nub and then sliding down and pressing lightly inside her. She gasped at that, the new sensation making her burn. She became more bold and her hand slid into his hair, her hips lifting to him while she pressed him against her. He laughed lightly and the sound cause her insides to clench and she felt like she was going to burst. He slid a finger inside her and his teeth raked ever so gently over her throbbing bundle and Betty’s breath came in gasps as her legs began to shake and she felt her release rushing up on her.

“Juggie!” she cried out and he latched on to her, suckling gently and she fell apart with a cry of ecstasy. Jughead groaned and kept at it, and Betty gasped as a second release rushed up on her and she sobbed and dug her nails into his shoulder as her body shuddered and arched off the bed. Jughead made his way up her body and she reached for his zipper, desperate to have him. He took her mouth as she fumbled to open his pants, pushing them and his boxers down his hips and he helped, kicking them off. He moved suddenly and lay on his back, pulling her on top of him. 

“What are you doing?” she moaned, trying to move back and pull him on top of her. He held her still and she suddenly felt him move against her and she still and gasped. “Oh,” she breathed, moving against him and he groaned, gripping her hips. She wiggled and he sucked in a breath.

“Lift your hips,” he urged and she lifted slightly and felt him probe at her. She looked at him wildly and he pushed on her hips and she slowly slid onto him until she was fully seated. She gasped at the feel of him, seemingly deeper than ever. It was a new sensation and she moved her hips and gasped. 

“Holy shit,” he gasped, enjoying this new position. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” he groaned. She looked at him, confused. “I’m still trying to figure out my timing,” he said with a small laugh. “This is making it exceedingly difficult.”

“I don’t want to stop,” she whispered, moving again. Jughead lifted against her and hit a spot that made her shudder. “Do that again,” she demanded. He did and her head fell back, the pleasure racing through her. Jughead pulled her down and kissed her, and she began to move on him, lifting and falling and he moved with her, and they found an easy rhythm, gasping and moaning into each other’s mouth. Betty lifted her head and watched his face as they moved together, the need and desire she saw there fueling her own. He loved her and only her. She did this to him and it made her feel powerful. 

“I love you,” she whispered against his mouth and he took her face in his hands, kissing her with a desperation she felt deep inside her heart. 

“I love you too,” he managed after a while. He reached his hand down and started to stroke her and she moaned, feeling her body begin to fall apart. He ran his free hand into her hair and tugged her back gently and watched her eyes as he felt her begin to tighten. It triggered his own release and they came together, completely in sync, their eyes locked and glazed with desire and love. Betty sank down on him, completely shook and sated. Jughead’s arms came around her, holding her so tight, she could barely breathe. He loosened his grip when she pinched him lightly and they lay together, their breathing heavy and satisfied.

“I need a shower,” she muttered, after they lay quietly for a while. “I’m all sweaty.”

“Sexy,” he said with a smile. She laughed and slid off him and he let out a groan. 

“Shower and then we eat,” she said, wrapping the sheet around her and walking to the bathroom. 

“I already ate,” he called after her, laughing. “And why the fuck you keep wrapping the sheet around yourself, I’ve seen you naked a bunch of times already.” He heard her giggle and sighed. He heard the shower start and lay staring at the ceiling.

“Jughead?”

“What?”

“Are you coming?” His eyes widened and he jumped out of bed, not bothering to cover himself and went to the bathroom, pushing the door open. She stood, gloriously naked, under a stream of steaming water, smiling shyly at him.

“Fuck,” he muttered, unable to tear his gaze away. 

“I’m waiting,” she said, biting her lip, holding the soap. He stumbled as he walked toward her and she giggled. He stepped into the shower and she handed him the soap. “Wash me,” she said brightly. She glanced down and laughed when she saw his arousal lifting again. “Really?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smug smile. Jughead took the soap, a wicked gleam appearing in his eye. 

“You may regret this,” he said gruffly, his hands moving over the soap and getting slick with bubbles, before reaching out to roam over her skin.

“I seriously doubt it,” she gasped, her arms already going around his neck, pressing against him. She was right, she didn’t regret a thing.


	12. Riverdale Meets New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a mess and feels like just a filler to me.....I had plans for it but they kind of got lost in my head and this is what came of it! Also, I was going to have the Valentines Day date in this one but it was getting longer than I expected so we'll save that for the next chapter :)

January passed in a bitterly cold haze. Jughead was thankful his work kept him inside and Betty bundled up like a polar bear to travel to and from school. She was doing well and she had found small side job writing articles for a small neighborhood paper, one of the few papers still in print that wasn’t available online.

Living with Jughead only got better. She fell more in love with him every day and he told her every single day how much he loved her. Their sex life was hot and satisfying. It had taken them a while to really get good at it, with a few embarrassing finishes but they figured it out quick enough and Jughead was more than excellent when it came to pleasing her. He figured out very quickly what she liked and loved it when she was demanding and vocal. She loved how she made him lose control with just a touch and even a look. She couldn’t get enough of it and spent her days teasing and tormenting him with texts and pictures while he worked. More often than not, it resulted in his coming home from work, dropping his gear and carrying her to the bedroom, no matter what she was doing. Sometimes, they didn’t even make it that far.

It was the beginning of February and Betty was curled up on the couch and trying to find something to watch when Jughead came home, covered in snow. She looked at him in surprise and went to the window and saw it was snowing sheets. 

“I didn’t even notice it was snowing,” she exclaimed. “When did it start?” 

“Like an hour ago,” he replied, shrugging out of his jacket and boots. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him and tried to transfer some warmth into him.

“Mmmmmm, I like when you warm me up,” he murmured against her hair. She lifted her head and smiled at him and he kissed her softly. “And you taste good,” he said, kissing her again, and then again. By the time he pulled back, she was wrapped all around him and tugging on his hair. “God, I love the way you respond to me,” he growled against her mouth. “Have I told you that?”

“You tell me all the time,” she giggled. 

“Tell me again that you love me,” he said against her ear, lifting her against him. 

“I love you,” she breathed, pressing against his growing arousal. “I love you.” Jughead kissed her again and when she was begging for more he carried her to the couch and proceeded to give her exactly what she wanted. A long while later when they were sitting at the island eating dinner, Jughead pulled out his phone and showed her some text messages.

“Arch and V are coming to New York in a week. They want to drop in for a couple days for a visit,” he said.

“Oh wow, that will be so cool. And strange. They are going to be on our turf now,” she said laughing. “Wonder if that will be weird?”

“We’ll show them a good time. Speaking of good time; I have a little something planned for Valentine’s Day,” he said smiling. 

“Oh? Tell me,” she said excitedly. 

“I can’t,” he said with a wink. “It’s a surprise.”

“Fine,” she sighed and he pulled her close and kissed her pouting mouth. 

“I love you,” he said with a grin.

“I know,” she smiled, putting a forkful of food in her mouth. He laughed and did the same.

 

6 days later, Archie and Veronica showed up. Betty had just gotten home from school and she had booked a few days off work to spend time with them and she was putting away her books when the security buzzer sounded. 

“Who is it?” she called through the intercom.

“It’s V!” Came Veronica’s excited reply. Betty buzzed them in and few minutes later there was excited knocking on the door. She opened it and was engulfed in a hug by Veronica. 

“Hi!!” she said excitedly and stepped aside so they could come in. V swept in and Archie struggled in behind her carrying 3 bags.

“That’s a lot of luggage for a couple days,” Betty said laughing. Archie rolled his eyes and dropped them.

“Well, you know Veronica.” The raven haired women stood in the center of the room and slowly turned around.

“Is this it?” she asked, confused.

“There’s two bedrooms and a bathroom yet,” Betty explained, pointing down the narrow hall.

“This place is terrible,” she said with a grimace. 

“Veronica!” Archie snapped angrily. 

“It’s ok Archie,” Betty said laughing. “The whole thing is probably the size of her closet.”

“I’m sorry, Betts, but damn, I don’t know how you function here,” V said with a sigh.

“We like it, it’s home,” Betty said softly.

“Where is Jughead?” Archie asked, flopping down on the couch.

“He’s at work. He’ll be home in a bit. I think he booked the afternoon and tomorrow off.” Betty was right and Jughead arrived half hour later. He walked in and shed his coat and boots and hauled Betty up against him for a kiss before acknowledging his guests who sat with amused expressions on their faces. Betty flushed and Jughead grinned and kissed her again.

“Stop it,” she whispered with a quiet giggle.

“I missed your mouth,” he whispered back.

“You realize this apartment is the size of a shoe box and we can hear everything, right?” Veronica mentioned. Archie laughed and Jughead straightened up and grinned at him. 

“Let me just shower and we’ll get to it,” Jughead said and headed for the bathroom. 

“So what do you do for fun around here,” Veronica asked, walking into the kitchen area. Betty offered her a glass of wine and she accepted, fingering the stem while she stared at some of the pictures on the fridge. Most were of her and Jughead and a few were of their friends. 

“We usually hang out at Molly’s across the street. We’ll take you guys later,” Betty said with a smile. 

“Like a bar or something?”

“Yes, a bar/pub type of thing. I work there in the afternoons and some weekends.”

“You do any writing or journalism stuff yet?” V asked, touching the plant that Betty was trying to keep from dying.

“I write for a local newspaper. Just getting my name out there and building some experience. My professor said that…..” Betty’s voice trailed off as Veronica gazed over her shoulder with a look of astonishment. Betty turned around and Jughead had just come into the living room dressed in only a pair of jeans. His t-shirt was still in his hands. Betty figured that he forgot they had guests and was so used to walking around like that, he hadn’t even thought of pulling it on. She bit back a laugh at Veronica’s perusal, her eyes taking in his muscular torso.

“Put your shirt on Juggie,” Betty said, barely keeping the grin off her face. He looked at her surprised and then flushed when he saw Veronica staring at him. He quickly pulled it on and settled on the couch next to Archie.

“Jesus,” Veronica whispered. “When the hell did he get so hot?”

“Remember the shoe box,” Archie said with a roll of his eyes. Betty started to laugh at Jughead’s blush and decided it would be fun to tease him with this for the next little while. “You do look pretty fit though man,” Archie said with a smirk. “Construction keeping you in shape?”

“Pushups too,” Betty added and then flushed slightly at Jughead’s wink. 

“Well, damn, sorry Archie, but Jughead, you are looking pretty fine,” Veronica said, as if she just had to get it out. 

“Well thanks,” he said, still looking a little flushed. 

“Show me the rest of this tiny house,” V said to Betty, pulling her down the hall. Betty showed her and they ended up in her and Jughead’s room last. Veronica closed the door and whirled around.

“Oh my God Betty, I did not notice all that on him at Christmas,” she exclaimed. “Have you had sex?”

“Ok, what is with everyone and their obsession with whether Jughead and I have had sex?” Betty asked, confused and annoyed.

“Well, because you all were living together, falling in love, you beautiful and him looking like a walking orgasm, how the hell you managed to wait to have sex is beyond me,” Veronica exlaimed.

“What the fuck is a walking orgasm?” Betty asked, completely baffled. 

“Like women look at him and they just orgasm from hotness,” V explained. 

“You’re ridiculous and yes, we’ve had sex and before you ask, yes it’s amazing and he’s great at it and I’m always completely and thoroughly satisfied, multiple times over. Did I cover everything?”

“That whole thing was just mean,” V said with a glare. Betty burst into laughter and rolled her eyes.

“Oh my God, can we just go sit with the guys,” she said as she laughed. They went out to the living room and Jughead immediately pulled Betty into his lap and Veronica sighed. She looked at Archie.

“You’re coming to Paris with me,” she said firmly.

“Ron, I don’t…..”Archie began.

“Either you come to Paris with me, or I’ll fucking find someone like Jughead,” she snapped. Archie stared at her.

“Ok, I’ll come,” he sputtered and Jughead started to laugh. 

 

Later that evening, they headed to Molly’s. Archie and Veronica sat at the bar and looked around curiously and Betty and Jughead headed to the door where Emma and Justin had suddenly arrived. Emma grabbed Betty in a hug and immediately launched into her latest tales of work and Jughead and Justin did their usual man pounding and were right away laughing over some silly joke. Betty glanced over at the bar and noticed Archie and Veronica watching them, an apprehensive look on their face.

“So, we have friends here from Riverdale,” she said with a smile. “Why don’t you come meet them.” They walked over and introduced everyone and after some smiles and handshakes they found a table and sat down and ordered drinks.

“So,” Emma said, launching right into it, looking at Veronica. “You’re like what I am to Betty, except small town version.” Veronica raised an eyebrow and Betty closed her eyes in horror.

“Oh shit,” Jughead muttered. 

“Small town? Bitch, I live in Paris.” Veronica snapped.

“Ron, she didn’t mean….” Betty began quickly.

“Did you just call me a bitch?” Emma sputtered.

“I certainly did,” V said furiously. Emma looked at Betty.

“She doesn’t do humor, does she?” she asked with a smirk. Betty sighed and touched Veronica’s hand.

“She’s only kidding,” she said gently. “She has a really weird sense of humor.” Veronica didn’t placate that easily and sat simmering for a good while. The guys just sat there, unsure of what to do and then decided to go play pool. Jughead left a kiss on Betty’s mouth and followed the other two.

“Betty, your guy was the only one who bothered to kiss you before wandering off,” Emma said with a sigh.

“I know, right?” Veronica piped in. “I had to threaten to find myself a Jughead before my boyfriend would join me in Paris.” Emma cracked up at this and soon V was laughing with her. Betty breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. She would have to thank her sexy walking orgasm for that, she thought with a giggle. The other two looked at her and she just shook her head and took a sip of her drink. Turns out, Emma and Veronica got along great and spent most of the night laughing and talking and almost forgetting Betty was there. Jughead deserted Archie and Justin who were having some kind of darts contest and came over and sat next to Betty and hauled her into his lap. She giggled and he gave her a kiss.

“I think our friends like each other more than they like us,” he whispered in her ear. 

“Maybe we should leave them here and sneak home for some Betty and Juggie time,” she giggled. 

“Mmmmm, don’t tempt me,” he murmured, giving her a soft kiss. Betty wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled close. She yawned and he chuckled. “You tired hon?” 

“A little,” she said quietly, kissing his jaw and suddenly wishing she was home in bed and in his arms. He seemed to read her mind and hugged her close. “I was just thinking about being in bed and in your arms and now I realize I am in your arms, we’re just missing the bed.”

“Say the word, beautiful,” he said softly.

“Ahem!” came a rather loud interruption and they turned to find Emma and Veronica looking at them with incredulous looks on their faces.

“I’m telling you Veronica, this is them all the fucking time,” Emma said with a sigh. 

“Sorry,” Betty said with a flush. 

“No you’re not,” Emma laughed. Betty stuck her tongue out and snuggled closer to Jughead. The evening passed with lots of laughter and stories and when Betty was almost sleeping in Jughead’s lap he decided it was time to go home. At the apartment he showed Arch and V their room and after a snobby ‘it’ll do’ from Veronica, he went into his and Betty’s room where she was already curling up under the covers. It was 2 in the morning and he knew she had gotten up early and felt bad that they had stayed out so late. Jughead pulled her close and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She snuggled close and sighed in contentment.

“This is literally my favorite place,” she whispered against his neck and he smiled. It was his as well. It had slowly transformed from his room into their room. Brighter sheets, small girly things everywhere, her clothes, her books, just her, all over his room now and he couldn’t be happier. He had literally never been this happy in his life and he still sometimes found it hard to believe. He loved her so much and what was even more amazing to him was that she loved him just as much. 

“What are you thinking about?” she whispered, tracing his mouth with her finger.

“You,” he whispered back. “And the fact that you love me.”

“I do,” Betty said softly, moving over him and laying on top of him. “So much.” She stared down at him, her eyes dark and needy and he held her gaze, the desire simmering between them.

“I thought you were tired,” he whispered as she moved against him. 

“I was, but the way you’re looking at me is making me ache,” she breathed, her mouth brushing against his. His hands quickly shed her panties and she pushed down his boxers and she slid over him, taking him inside. She whimpered and he took her mouth to quiet her moans. They came quickly, not holding back and pressed their mouths together to muffle their groans. Once they had settled back into snuggling, they realized that Archie and Veronica were not as considerate with their noise. 

“Jesus Christ,” Jughead muttered at the loud lusty sounds and thumping noises coming from Betty’s old room. Betty held her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.

“I’m literally never sleeping in there again,” she gasped through her laughter. 

“I’m burning that bed tomorrow,” Jughead said with a sigh. The noise finally died down and they fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

 

The following day, V and Arch slept late and Betty and Jughead busied themselves getting together something to eat. She decided to throw grapes at him until he chased her around the kitchen and she had to work to muffle her giggles and he caught her by the couch and took her mouth in a heated, thorough kiss. His hands moved over her and suddenly she was falling back on the couch and he followed her, his mouth catching her again. Betty felt her arousal start up and she pulled away gasping.

“Wait, wait! We have guests!” she gasped.

“Fuck the guests,” Jughead muttered, his mouth latching on to her neck. 

“Will you two shut the fuck up!” came a yell from the spare room. Betty started to giggle.

“Pay back for all your damn moaning and banging last night,” Jughead yelled back. Betty heard Archie start to laugh and Veronica’s outrage.

“I told you they could hear us!” she hissed. Betty looked at Jughead and started to laugh.

“Wow, there is zero sound proof in this apartment,” she exclaimed.

“Let’s hope there is between the neighbors because you get very loud during sex,” Jughead teased. She smacked his arm and shoved him off her and stood up. 

“Well, maybe we ought to take a break from that then,” she said with a teasing smirk as she walked into the kitchen. Jughead laughed, knowing full well she wouldn’t protest at all if he carried her to the bedroom right now.

They set about making breakfast and soon Archie and Veronica stumbled into the kitchen, unable to keep away with the smells of bacon and eggs wafting around the apartment. They sat with plates in the living room and Betty smiled and leaned into Jughead. 

“So, Archie, you’re going to Paris?” she asked with tiny smirk.

“Seems so,” he mumbled.

“It’s only for a few months and then we’re back in Riverdale. I don’t know why you’re having such an issue with it,” Veronica huffed. “I hate the long distance and you can write your music anywhere.” She looked at Jughead. “Would you go to Paris for Betty?”

“I’d go anywhere for her,” he answered honestly. Veronica looked at Archie with a ‘see!’ kind of look and he glared at Jughead.

“Stop fucking making me look bad,” he grumbled. Jughead grinned and shoveled a fork full of eggs in his mouth and Betty smiled down into her coffee.

“This is good,” Veroncia said, waving her hand at the two of them. “Don’t screw it up Jughead,” she finished.

“Ok, why do you and Emma keep saying that? I’m not going to fuck it up for God’s sake!” he snapped. Betty took his hand and smiled gently at him. 

“They’re just being girls looking out for their girl,” she tried to explain, holding back a laugh.

“Well, maybe I’d like a guy to tell you not to screw it up,” he said laughing. Betty looked at Archie.

“Don’t fuck it up Betty,” he immediately said. She looked back at Jughead with a grin.

“Happy?”

“No,” he mumbled. “I don’t like people even thinking we might screw this up, because I won’t. I love you.”

“I know,” Betty said happily.

“Remember when we were like this Archie?” V said with a sigh. “Now I have to threaten to find someone else to get you to go somewhere with me.”

“Will you fucking stop,” Archie snapped. “I’m going.” Veronica gave him a look and slammed her plate down on the chest and stormed into their room. Archie followed just as angry. Betty and Jughead looked at each other in surprise.

“Wow,” he muttered. “Promise we’ll never be like that.”

“Well, as long as you do everything I ask,” she said with a giggle. He put his plate down and lifted her into his lap. “You sure like me in your lap,” she said teasing him, moving against him and he groaned, stilling her hips. 

“Yeah I do,” he said, his hands moving over her hips. She leaned in to kiss him and tried to ignore the heated, half whispers half yelling from the spare room. Suddenly there were moans thrown into the mix and Jughead pulled back with a sigh.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he growled. Betty started to laugh and rested against him. “Well, while they’re busy, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said after a while. Betty looked at him, trying to block out the sounds coming from down the hall.

“What’s up?”

“There is an apartment that’s going to be available on the top floor in a month. It’s only a one bedroom but it’s bigger than this and has a fantastic view. It’s a little more pricey but with my new promotion we can easily afford it and I was wondering if you’d be interested in moving up a floor?” he asked. Betty looked at him surprised.

“Really?”

“I should mention it also has a huge closet and an enormous bathroom.” Betty grinned at him and gave him a hug.

“You had me at ‘one bedroom’,” she said happily.

“Why is that?” he asked with a smile.

“Because, now it’s like written in stone that you won’t be throwing me out and looking for a new roommate,” she said with a giggle. “Where would they sleep?”

“Well, I could always get another girl roommate,” he teased. She smacked his shoulder and frowned at him. He smiled and smoothed her hair back and held her face, pulling her in for a kiss. It was slow and sexy, his tongue curling around hers and very quickly it turned hot and fast, her moans vibrating on his lips. He grasped her hips and moved her against him and her hands started tugging at his hair. 

“We should stop,” she gasped, not really wanting to. The noise from the other bedroom had stilled and they both knew Arch and V would be out in a minute. Jughead sighed and pulled back, and she rested her forehead on his.

“I love you, Jughead Jones,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Betty Cooper,” he said with a happy smile. She kissed him again and nestled against him, her head on his shoulder. She secretly wished Archie and Veronica would leave already so she could have a her loud lusty naughty way with Jughead on the couch.

“What about Sally?” she asked after a while, feeling bad about leaving the sweet old lady.

“She told me yesterday that she was moving to a retirement nursing home in a couple weeks. I’m happy she is doing that, it’s getting too hard for her alone,” Jughead explained.

“Oh, she never mentioned when I went for tea the other day. That's good that she’s doing that and now I won’t feel bad about moving.”

“So we should get the apartment? The super mentioned it and decided to give me first dibs cause I was complaining about the radiator again.”

“Yes, let’s move up. I’m very excited about the idea.” Jughead squeezed her close and smiled. He couldn’t wait for the new adventure with her by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters after this!! It's been wonderful taking this fluffy journey with you!


	13. Be My Valentine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut ;)

It was Valentine’s Day and it happened to fall on a Friday and Betty was very happy about that. Jughead had a special something planned that he refused to even hint about and she was excited and nervous. He woke her with a gentle kiss before he left for work and she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Hey,” she whispered. He smiled and gave her a lingering kiss. 

“I’m just heading off to work and I’m not working a full day but I’ll meet you later tonight, ok?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning up at him.

“You’ll see,” he said softly with a wink. He kissed her again and then he was gone. Betty snuggled back under the covers and went back to sleep. When she woke a couple hours later and wandered into the kitchen she found a note with a single rose laying on it. Smiling, she picked it up.

~~~There will be a town car at your service all day. It will arrive at 10:00 to take you to your first surprise. I love you. J.  
P.S. Don’t take a bath or shower and wear a shirt with buttons that you don’t have to pull over your head.~~~

“What on earth?” she said with a laugh. She mulled over it for a while and decided she trusted him and set about making herself something to eat. At 10:00 sharp she was downstairs waiting and a town car picked her up moments later. She settled into the back and waited curiously. 

“Do you have any instructions?” she asked curiously. “Cause I have no idea where I’m supposed to go.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” the driver said with a smile and they started out. Betty grabbed her phone.

B: Heading off in the town car, can you give me a hint? :)

J: Enjoy your day, beautiful. :)

B: Please sweetie, give me a hint…pretty please?

J: I love you.

B: I love you too, brat!

J: ;)

Betty smiled and put the phone away and looked out the window until the car pulled up in front of a building. The driver jumped out and came to open her door and she got out and looked around.

“They are expecting you in there,” he said with a smile, pointing to the door. She looked at the sign. A luxury spa. She smiled and walked into the building. She walked up to the counter and the lady smiled at her.

“May I help you?”

“I think so,” Betty said hesitantly. “I’m Betty Cooper?”

“Ahhh, yes, I was told to expect you. A very handsome young man came by a couple weeks ago and told us to treat you like a queen and that’s exactly what we’ll do,” the lady said with a bright smile. Betty was wisked away and realized quickly why Jughead had told her to not shower or bathe. The first thing she did was soak in a flower petal filled bath. It was heaven and it made her smell like a spring flower garden. Next she was given an hour long massage and she decided she wouldn’t be able to move because her bones were officially butter. 

“Time to do your hair and nails and makeup,” a pretty young lady said, sweeping into the room and covering her with a robe. Betty smiled and followed her to the next room. She was pampered and primped and fed champagne and desserts and little appetizers, and after another couple of hours she felt like a million dollars. Her nails were french manicured and her makeup was subtle and beautiful and her hair was pinned up on one side and shone and hung down the other in shiny smooth waves.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing 4:00pm and she grabbed her phone which hadn’t been allowed in the spa, as it took away from the experience apparently. 

B: I love you so damn much!

J: Why is that? ;)

B: I look and feel like a million dollars right now. The spa was absolutely amazing!

J: You always look like a million dollars and I love you too.

B: so what now?

J: The car is waiting ;)

Betty smiled and quickly got dressed and then realized why she was supposed to wear a button shirt. Pulling a t-shirt over her head would ruin her hair. She left the spa and the car was indeed waiting for her. The driver immediately came to open the door and she climbed in and buckled up. After about 15 minutes of driving, they pulled up in front of boutique and the door was opened for her. She walked through the door and was surprised and excited to see Emma there.

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

“Jesus, you look amazing!” Emma gushed, taking her in.

“Thank you,” Betty said with a blush. “I feel amazing.” She paused and looked around. “So what am I doing here?”

“I am helping you pick out something to wear,” she said with a smile. “When Jughead told me his plans and asked about the best spa in New York, I added this little bit because no girl should get made up without having something fucking spectacular to wear. Now, let’s go get you into something fantastic because I have my own date to get to. Although I’m going to suggest to Jughead that he give Justin some pointers,” Emma added with a laugh. They spent 2 hours in the boutique and finally she met Emma’s approval. She told Betty she had to wear it out of the store because she was meeting Jughead after this. She had dressed her up, right down to the lingerie.

“Oh my God, Betty. He’s going to die,” she whispered.

“Well, I certainly hope not. I’m quite fond of him,” Betty said smiling. She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was green lace over black silk and sat off her shoulders. It hugged her body to mid thigh and it really was quite beautiful. The shoes were black heels and Betty decided she had never looked better. “It’s freezing outside,” she said with a sigh. “I’m going to freeze to death.” Emma handed her a black coat that came to her knees and told her to put her boots on until she was back in the car.

“I want that jacket back and your next stop will be underground parking so put your heels back on inside the car,” Emma said, and Betty did as she told her to. “Have fun tonight,” her friend said with a smile and hug. “Oh, wait, one more thing,” Emma said with a smile. She handed Betty a wrapped gift and then with a wink, left the boutique. Betty held on to the present and hurried out to the car and sat back as it once again pulled away from the curb. She opened the gift and found a velvet box. She opened it and gasped. A beautiful pair of chandelier emerald and diamond earrings twinkled up at her. There was a small piece of paper tucked into the box. 

~~Nothing comes close to the brilliance of your eyes, but these make a good effort. J.~~ 

Betty smiled, and touched them with shaky hands. This whole day had already been amazing and she hadn’t even seen him yet and now she felt herself tremble with the need to be with him. She put the earrings on and checked herself in her phone and was awed by their beauty. She put the phone back in the evening bag Emma had given her and had promised to leave her other bag at home for her. The car pulled into an underground parking garage of a sky high hotel and parked near the elevator. The driver came around and opened the door for her and smiled at her.

“The 34th floor, ma’am,” he said with a smile. 

“Thank you, very much,” Betty said with a smile and stepped into the elevator. She hit the button for the floor and stood clutching her purse nervously. When the elevator came to a stop and she stepped out, she gasped in surprise. She was in a restaurant lounge area with chairs and couches strewn around. Past the lounge was a darkened restaurant that seemed lit only by candle light. It was romantic and sexy and the view was astonishing. The walls seemed all glass and she had a spectacular view of the city. She moved forward nervously, looking around for Jughead, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Hey you,” came a soft familiar voice behind her. Betty whirled around and stared in shock. Jughead stood dressed in black dress pants and suit jacket, he wore a white shirt and to not completely leave his style behind had forgone the tie and left the first couple buttons of the shirt open. He looked devastatingly handsome. His head was free of any hat and his black unruly hair was already falling over his eye. “May I take your coat?” he asked with a smile, stepping closer. 

“Yes,” she said in a whisper soft voice. She handed him her purse and undid the coat belt and buttons and slowly slipped it off. He took it and his eyes raked over her slowly and she watched as he swallowed. When his eyes came back to hers, they were dark with desire. 

“You look incredible,” he said hoarsely. 

“Thank you,” she said with flushing shyly. “So do you.” He took her hand and pulled her close, leaving a soft kiss on her mouth. “I missed you today,” she whispered. 

“I missed you more,” he replied kissing her again. He took her jacket and had it checked and then they walked to the host and were led to a table by the window with a breathtaking view of the city lights. 

“This is so beautiful Juggie, I can’t believe what you all set up for today. I had the most amazing day,” Betty gushed. Jughead smiled and took her hand across the table. 

“I wanted you to be pampered,” he said softly. 

“I was more than pampered. It was absolutely incredible. And thank you for these,” she said with a happy smile, touching her earrings.

“They look beautiful on you,” Jughead said, his thumb making slow circles on her hand. She shivered, suddenly wanting to skip dinner and take him to the nearest dark corner. He must have read her thoughts as a slow smile spread across his face. “Later,” he said with a wink, sitting back in his seat. Betty flushed, feeling embarrassed that he could read her so easily.

“Did you have a good day?” she asked after they had ordered wine.

“Yes I did,” Jughead said with a smile. “Worked till noon and then went home for a nap and then got myself dressed up to meet my beautiful girl.”

“You napped?” she asked with a laugh.

“Yes, I did. I don’t plan on getting much sleep tonight,” he said softly, his eyes taking on a warm dark gleam. Betty’s heart started to race and she put her wine glass down, not trusting the tremor in her hand and not wanting to spill. He smirked and she let out a sigh.

“Stop teasing me,” she huffed with a half hearted glare.

“I’m not teasing, just telling the truth,” Jughead said with a soft laugh. Betty smiled and looked out the window over the city. Half a year ago she was terrified of this place and had almost changed her mind. Now she looked at it and was so incredibly happy, happier than she had ever been. She looked back at Jughead and felt her heart over flow. She would have never guessed in a million years that she would fall in love with the moody quiet boy from her past and here she was, sitting and simmering with just the thought of being in his arms later.

“I love you,” she whispered, unable to keep it in. He noted the heat in her eyes and his took on a similar look.

“Shall we skip dinner?” he asked quietly. Her eyes widened a little, wanting more than anything to do that but she managed to refrain.

“No,” she said whisper soft. “I got all dressed up for this. I want to wear the dress for at least an hour,” she finished with a wispy smile. He smiled in agreement and they opened their menus.

Dinner was amazing. The food was so good and she giggled and blushed all through dinner as Jughead kept up the teasing and conversation light. By the time the dessert menu came, Betty was aching all over and she wanted nothing but to feel Jughead’s mouth on hers. 

“Shall we do dessert?” he asked with an arrogant smirk, noting the heat in her eyes. She shook her head and he declined the menu and asked for the bill. When everything was squared away, he took her hand and led her back to the elevator. He grabbed her coat and when she reached for it, he shook his head and folded it over his arm. Inside the elevator he hit the button for the 44th floor. She realized he had booked a hotel room and she got even more excited. She wouldn’t have to wait to wrap herself around him. When they got to the floor he led her to a room at the end of the hall and pulled out a key card. He smiled and opened the door for her and she walked in.

Betty was astonished again. It was the most beautiful room she had ever been in. Since the room was on the end, two of the walls were basically all window and the view was breathtaking. She kicked off her heels and wandered around, taking in the beauty of the room. Everything was decadent and rich. From the giant mahogany bed, to the overstuffed furniture, to the plush carpet. There was champagne chilling and strawberries next to a stunning bouquet of dark red roses. Her eyes fell on the fireplace that was roaring with warmth. She turned slowly and found Jughead leaning against the door, watching her. Heat flooded through her and she threw shyness out the window. Well, most of it.

Betty walked slowly over to him and didn’t hesitate or falter when she reached him. She ran her hand into his hair and pulled his head down for a heavy, open mouth kiss. His lips were warm, his tongue wet and hot and he groaned into her mouth, his hands sliding down and moving over her backside, squeezing and pulling her against him. He lifted her and she felt his arousal, already hard and heavy in his pants. She tugged on his hair and he bit her bottom lip in retaliation and it only fueled her fire. Jughead walked with her to the center of the room and pulled away, gasping for breath. She was in much the same condition and rested her forehead on his chest to regain some sense.

“Like a frisky kitten tonight, aren’t we?” he teased. She pinched his stomach and he shrugged away with a husky laugh. 

“I can’t help it Jughead, you’re hot as fuck tonight,” she said before she even realized what she was saying.

“Mmmmmm, I love it when you say dirty words,” he breathed against her ear, his hand slowly pulling up the hem of her dress so his hand could move over her lace panties. Betty leaned up and bit his ear lobe.

“And I love it when your mouth is on me and when you’re deep inside me,” she whispered boldly.

“Fuck,” Jughead muttered, his pants feeling unbearably tight. Betty stepped back, an arrogant grin on her face and he would have laughed but he was having a hard time breathing at the smoldering look in her eye. “Would you like some champagne,” he managed to say after a moment. She lifted her hands to the buttons of his shirt and held his gaze as she slowly undid them.

“Later,” she breathed, as she pushed his shirt aside, running her hands over his skin. She let her fingers trail over his chest, down over his stomach, liking the way the muscle contracted under her touch. He lowered his head and rested it against hers, his breathing hitched beside her ear and she reveled in her ability to make him tremble with desire. She moved her hand up to his shoulders, slipping them under his shirt and slowly ran them down his arms, taking the shirt with her. He lifted his head and held her gaze while she raked her nails lightly down his strong arms. She had become a seductress and by the way she was biting her lip and holding back a smile, he knew she was well aware of it. His shirt fell to the floor and she moved to the button of his pants. She got it undone and she slowly pulled down the zipper, her teeth lightly raking his jaw. He groaned when she reached in, under the hem of his boxers and wrapped her hand around him, squeezing gently.

“Betty,” he groaned, his hand catching her wrist. “Keep that up and I’m going to embarrass myself.” She smiled slowly and turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

“Unzip me,” she said softly. Jughead slowly pulled her zipper down, his head dipping and his mouth whispering over her shoulder. He ran the back of his fingers along the skin he exposed as he opened her dress. When he had it down, Betty walked toward the bed and he watched her as she turned and smiled seductively at him. She slowly lowered the dress and his breath caught in his throat as it fell to the floor. She stood in her lingerie, a sultry, yet shy look on her face. Jughead could barely get his legs to move as he walked over to her, his hand reached to cup her face. 

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered before his mouth came down on hers. Betty wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself against him. She didn’t want to play the seductress anymore, she just want him on her and in her. Both his hands held her face and his mouth moved hungrily over hers, his tongue wrapping around hers. Betty pulled herself up and wrapped her legs around him, wanting him closer. 

“I want you Juggie,” she moaned into his mouth. “Now.” They fell back on the bed together and his hands, dear God his hands were everywhere. He leaned over her, his thumb pushing up her chin and his mouth moving down her neck, sucking the skin where her pulse fluttered wildly. His mouth moved across her chest and his fingers pulled her bra down, her breasts spilling free. He teased her, his mouth moving slowly around the swell, his fingers brushing lightly, teasingly over the dusty pebbled peaks until she was pulling his hair to get his mouth where she wanted it. Jughead laughed softly as his tongue raked over the nipple and she moaned and arched into him.

“Jughead!” she yelled. He ignored her and moved over to the other one, teasing it in much the same way. His hands ran up the sides of her legs and his arousal brushed against her. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and she pressed against him, desperate for relief. “Please,” she whimpered, her head pressing into the pillow. Jughead swirled his tongue around her nipple and sucked her into his mouth and her ragged groan made his arousal twitch. He spent long moments moving back and forth until she was bucking urgently against him. “Juggie, I need….” Her voice trailed off and he lifted his head, leaned up over her, his mouth teasing hers, his tongue dipping between her lips. 

“What do you need, Betty,” he asked gruffly. “Tell me.” His hand moved down between her legs, moving her lace aside and stroking his fingers over her. "Damn, you're so fucking wet," he groaned. 

“I need….I want you to taste me….” She whimpered shyly, her face red from her boldness. Jughead’s eyes darkened and he moved against her. “Please,” she begged. Jughead kissed her again and slowly moved down her body, his tongue dragging between her breast and down over her stomach. His hands pulled down her panties and hurriedly parted her thighs, trembling eagerly. He kissed each thigh and sucked on the skin in the crease where her leg met her torso and she lifted her hips, needing more. Jughead raked his tongue over her and Betty sobbed at the pleasure that raced through her. 

“You taste so good.” His words made her stomach clench and she felt her body begin to shake. His tongue swirled around her swollen nub and then moved down and pressed inside her. 

“Fuck,” she gasped, her hand clenching his hair. He groaned against her and did it again. He moved back to her clit and his fingers slid inside her, curling while he sucked on her and Betty didn’t even have time to prepare as she shattered in release. “Oh my God!” she cried out, bucking against him. Jughead worked her through it and then his tongue lazily started again. He smiled against her as she moaned and whimpered, her sounds arousing him to a fever pitch. It didn’t take long and she fell apart again, her sobs of pleasure falling from her mouth. She shook as he slowly lapped at her and then he moved up her body, stopping at her breasts to tug the nipples into his mouth. 

Betty pushed against him suddenly, determined to get him on his back. He let her and fell back onto the sheet as she straddled him, her mouth devouring his. He hands tangled in her hair and he kissed her back, letting her taste herself and she bit his lip, tugging it, sucking it and he felt the wildness in her. She started to kiss her way down his chest, her teeth raking him and his breath hissed out at the sharp delicate pain. Betty reached his stomach and her hands went to push down his pants and boxers, and he kicked them off and groaned when her hand wrapped around him. 

“Wait,” he gasped when he felt her mouth move lower. Betty sat up, her hand still wrapped around him and her eyes were cloudy with hunger. He knew what she was moving to do. “You don’t have to,” he whispered, as she had never put her mouth on him before and he had never had a woman’s mouth on him. He didn’t want her to feel she needed to and at the same time he wanted it so bad, he couldn’t stop the shudder that went through him.

“I want to,” she said, her voice shaky and trembling. She held his gaze as she slowly lowered his head. He felt her tongue touch him and thought he might have died. When her mouth wrapped around him he decided he had, and he was in heaven. She was unsure and hesitant at first and he couldn’t stop the groan that left his lips as she grew bolder and despite not being what she would call an expert, she couldn’t stop herself from tasting and licking and pulling him deep. 

“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands clenching in her hair. He pulled the pins from it and it fell around his thighs, the silky feel only adding to the pleasure her mouth gave him. Jughead felt himself lose control and he quickly grabbed her and pulled her up. She moaned in protest, shaking her head at him.

“I want…”

“I can’t, baby…if you keep going I’m going to finish,” he gasped. He rolled her and moved between her legs, both of them shaking and desperate and he stroked her with his fingers, and then parted her legs and brushed his arousal over her once, twice and then he thrust deep inside her. Betty’s head fell back and her nails dug into his arms, her legs  
coming up around his waist. Jughead took her lips, his tongue mimicking his body and thrusting into her mouth and she kissed him eagerly, the sounds she was making driving him crazy. She pulled away and looked at him wildly and he felt her body tighten.

“No,” he growled. “Don’t come yet,” he begged, slowly his movements and she whimpered in protest. “Not yet,” he whispered, slowly his movements to an agonizing lazy drag. 

“Dammit, Juggie,” she moaned and bit his shoulder and raked her nails over his back. Jughead grabbed her hands and held them over her head, lifting her chest to him and he covered her nipple and suckled and her eyes rolled back and she shuddered. He picked up the pace again and he couldn’t hold back, slamming into her again and again and he felt her begin to shake and tighten again and he lifted his head to watch her face. He moved his hand between them and stroked against her and she fell apart, her body clenching long and hard on him. Her face in the middle of orgasm and her body clenching on him triggered his own and he let out a long groan as his body stiffened, his release spilling into her, his whole body shuddering in pleasure. He collapsed on her, hoping he wasn’t crushing her because he couldn’t get his body to move. She had a death grip on him and he never wanted to move from that moment. They stayed wrapped up in each other for long moments until their bodies were calm and still.

“Oh my God,” she whispered in awe. Jughead managed to lift his head and look at her. He grinned arrogantly at the sated and satisfied dazed look on her face. “It’s never been like that, Juggie,” she said, her eyes suddenly getting misty. He touched her face, his mouth placing gentle kisses over it. Jughead eased off of her and lay beside her, pulling her close, his hand stroking down her body.

“That was pretty amazing,” he said, agreeing with her. “You were incredible.” She peeked up at him, suddenly feeling shy again now that the feelings of ecstasy were fading. 

“Did you….did you like it when I….” she couldn’t finish, hiding her face in his neck.

“Yes, I liked it,” he said softly, a smile on his face. “A lot.”

“Did I do it right?” she asked in a whisper.

“I have nothing to compare it to, but that was fucking fantastic,” he said, his smile turning into a grin. She giggled and he squeezed her hip.

“I’m glad I was the first,” she said softly.

“Me too. I can’t imagine anyone else doing that but you,” he said quietly. He rolled her gently and looked down at her. “And don’t say you were the first, there isn’t going to be a second, not as long as you’re alive and breathing,” he said firmly. 

“Well, then I better stay that way,” she said with a smile. She stretched against him and groaned at the delicious ache that she felt all over. 

“By the way,” he said as he fell back on the pillow. “You smell fucking amazing. What did you do, take a bath in flowers?”

“Basically,” she said with a happy giggle. “That spa was amazing.”

“I’ll have to send you there more often,” he said with a content sigh.

“I certainly won’t protest.” 

“You want some champagne?” he asked. “There’s also a great tub in the bathroom. Maybe a bath? We could get all slippery and stuff.”

“Slippery and stuff?” she said laughing. “Oh Juggie, you have such a way with words,” she teased.

 

A long while later, when the hour had passed midnight and the bath water had gone cold and the champagne bottle lay empty, Betty sat in Jughead’s lap in front of the fireplace, her arms around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, his arousal buried deep inside her. He was placing soft kisses on her neck, and she moved only enough to tease. He lifted his head, his gaze holding hers. 

“What are you thinking right now?” she whispered, her eyes hooded, her face flushed.

“I’m thinking about how good you feel,” he said gruffly. 

“Is that all?” she teased, biting his lower lip. He stilled and looked at her, his face serious.

“What?” she breathed.

“I’m thinking about how much I love you. I’m thinking about forever.” Betty traced his lips with her fingers, her eyes taking in every feature of his beautiful face.

“You see forever?” 

“Every time I look in your eyes,” he whispered. She began to smile, remembering the song she had sung on New Year’s Eve. “I want you forever.”

“Like get married and have babies and everything?” she asked, resting her forehead on hers, her hips beginning a slow circular dance on him.

“God, yes. Everything!”

“Isn’t there like a rule or something that says we can’t think about these things until we’ve date like a year or more?” she asked, pressing her mouth to his neck.

“I don’t care much for rules when it comes to love and dating and life; I go with my own rules and wants,” he said simply. She looked at him and a slow smile spread across her face. 

“Thank God for that,” she said happily. “I love you too Juggie, so much and I want you beyond forever.” She pressed her mouth to his and moved her hips more forcefully and he groaned and fell back, pulling her down onto the sheet they had thrown on the floor in front of the fire and he proceeded to drive her out of her mind once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left!!! I can't believe we're here already! Thank you for taking this ride with me and stay tuned for the final update in a day or two!!!


	14. Happy Is An Understatement

Two months later, Jughead and Betty moved into their new apartment. They had to wait an extra month because the tenant had decided to stay on longer. But finally, they were in. Jughead was struggling at the moment to get a large box of books through the door that didn’t seem to want to fit. 

“Turn it sideways,” Betty suggested. Jughead looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Sideways? It has 4 sides, which way is sideways?” Betty laughed and came over to try to help him.

“Like, put it down and put it on its side. It’s not as tall as it is wide and it will fit through that way,” she explained. 

“Ah,” he muttered and did what she suggested and managed to shove the box in the door. 

“You’re extremely cute,” she said with a giggle, wrapping her arms around him. “Was that the last box?

“Yes, we are officially moved in!” he declared happily. He hauled her up against him and gave her a lusty wet kiss. She sighed when she pulled away and rested her head against his chest.

“I’m going to miss the old place,” she said sadly. “We fell in love there.”

“Yeah we did,” he said softly, kissing her again. “The best day of my life was the day I opened the door for you and you cried all over me.” Betty teared up and he let out a chuckle. “You about to do it again?” he asked tenderly. 

“No,” she lied as she hid her face in his shirt. 

“Shall we move back? It’s not too late,” he said quietly.

“No, no of course not. I’m just being silly. It was my first home in New York and it’s where I fell hopelessly in love with you, it’s where I had sex for the first time with the love of my life,” she listed all her reasons for being sad. Jughead smiled and lifted her against him, starting to walk her further into the apartment.

“Love of your life, huh?” he said nipping at her lips.

“Yes,” she breathed when she realized where he was going. “The bed doesn’t have sheets yet,’ she whispered against his mouth. He changed direction and sat her on the kitchen island. “We cook here,” she said with a giggle.

“We also eat here,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. She smacked his shoulder.

“Stop it,” she said laughing. He stood between her legs and she brushed the hair off his forehead. It never failed to amaze her how good looking he was. Or that he loved her. Or that she had found him after drifting away from him and not seeing him for years. “I’m a very lucky woman,” she whispered, her face flushed with happiness.

“Yes, you are,” he said with a wink. 

“You’re such a brat,” she sighed, kissing him and wrapping her legs around him. 

“I love you,” he said, his hands moving under her shirt. 

“Promise?” she said smiling. 

“Every day,” he replied with his own smile. 

“Well, as much as I’d love to have a sex break, we should finish putting stuff away,” she said with a sigh and then laughed at his pout. She leaned in and nipped his ear. “I promise to make it up to you later, in our new bed, in our new bedroom. Although I’m still not sure why we got a king sized bed, we basically sleep on top of each other.”

“It’s not for sleeping, it’s for when we wrestle,” he said with a wink. “Do you realized that moving in here closes the door on us being ‘roommates’…..we are now, officially a couple moving in together,” he said with a smile.

“Look at us, being all grown up,” she said with a happy laugh.

“Shhhh, don’t tell anyone,” he said laughing with her. He kissed her again and moved back so she could jump off the island and they set about putting their things away. The apartment was bigger than the one they had downstairs and since it was only one bedroom, the room was large and the bathroom was huge as well, with the same large clawfoot tub but also with a stand alone glass shower which they loved.

The fire escape balcony was in the bedroom in this apartment and since they were on the top floor, they now had a tiny balcony off the living room and the windows were floor to ceiling. The kitchen was a little bigger and there was room for a small table. The in-unit laundry closet was a huge bonus. 

Betty started unpacking a box and pulled out the old backpack that she remembered Jughead had packed at his father’s at Christmas.

“Juggie, can you come out here?” she called. He came out of the washroom and she held up the backpack. “Did you remember you had this?” she asked.

“I didn’t actually. We came home and I just kind of dumped it in the closet.” He took it and pulled out his old laptop. He opened it and of course it was dead and he pulled out the cord and plugged it in, curious to see what was on it. Once it booted up, he started going through the files and chuckled at his memories of being 16. “Check this out,” he said with a laugh. It was a picture of them with Archie at a football game. Betty was in her cheer uniform and Archie was all sweaty from the game he had obviously played. 

“Look how close you’re standing to me,” she said with a giggle. She appeared almost tucked into his side. Jughead smiled and touched the picture. 

“I had the biggest crush on you,” he said softly. 

“I thought you said that ended after 8h grade,” she teased.

“No, I said I started to concentrate more on writing, I definitely still crushed on you,” he said with a grin.

“I still wish you had told me,” she said softly. 

“I was too scared,” he admitted with a shrug. “Hey, look at this one.” It was just the two of them in a booth at Pop’s, his arm was around her and she was tucked into his side. 

“I don’t remember this,” she said sadly. 

“I remember every moment with you,” he said, looking at the picture. Betty turned to look at him, studying his face.

“Ok, be honest with me Juggie. When Archie told me you were hesitant about me moving in with you, was that because you had liked me so much in school?” Jughead smiled.

“Partly. I mean, honestly I’d long gotten over it as I hadn’t seen you in years, but when he mentioned you needed a place to stay, everything just kind of came back and I was a little scared about it. Plus I’d never lived with a girl and that was scary in itself,” he said laughing as she pinched him. “I figured I’d be fine and finally agreed and God, when I opened the door and saw you, I’m not gonna lie, I felt like I was 15 again. You looked the same but so much more beautiful and I knew I was in trouble from day one.” Betty took his face and kissed him and his arms came around her and he pulled her close.

“I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet,” she whispered when she pulled back. 

‘Yeah, you’ve mentioned,” he teased. 

“What else is on here?” she asked, as he clicked on some files.

“It’s the story I was writing about Jason’s murder,” he said with a chuckle. 

“You’ll have to let me read it some time,” she said smiling.

“Whenever you want, I’ll just leave this here, feel free to click in there,” Jughead said with a shrug. She made a mental note to do just that and they went back to unpacking. 

After a while, Betty found Jughead lounging on the bed, stripped to his sweats, reading a book. She jumped on the bed and threw a leg over him and he grabbed it and gave it a squeeze.

“What are you doing?” she asked, pretending to be annoyed. “We’re supposed to be unpacking!” Jughead grinned and put his book aside, pulling her on top of him.

“I put some sheets on the bed,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. She rolled her eyes and he laughed and pulled her down for a kiss. A moment later, she forgot all about unpacking.

 

A month later, Jughead came home from work to find Betty relaxing in the bathtub. 

“What you doin in here baby?” he asked with a grin.

“Relaxing. Molly’s was a mad house this afternoon for whatever reason. What is it with Friday’s and people drinking early. I’m thinking I need to find more writing and journalism work because I’m about ready to quit that place,” she said with a sigh. She smiled up at him. “Why don’t you climb in here?” she asked.

“Let me shower first, you don’t need to be stewing in my work filth,” he said laughing and stripped down and hopped in the shower. She watched him with a grin and soon enough he joined her, lowering himself in the water across from her. She put her foot on his chest and rubbed it slowly down his torso.

“How was your day?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.

“I was good,” he replied, grabbing her foot and giving it a kiss. “Did I join you for a soak or did you want to sit on me?” he asked with a teasing glint in his eye. She giggled and pulled her foot away. 

“Both.” He sat back and leaned his head against the edge. 

“I’m not usually a bath guy unless you’re in it, but I might start. This feels amazing,” he said.

“Did you get the text from Archie or Ron today?” she asked smiling.

“Sure did,” Jughead said laughing. “He proposed at the Eiffel tower? That doesn’t even sound like something Archie would do.”

“No, that’s Veronica. I’m sure she had instructions for if he ever did propose,” Betty said laughing as well.

“You think it’ll last?” he asked quietly. “I mean, I know they’ve dated for years. But they fought and broke up a lot too. That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”

“I’m hoping they do. And since it has been so long and neither have ever moved on to anyone else, I guess they are just made to be together in a rocky, never know what’s going to happen, relationship.”

“I’m glad we’re not like that,” Jughead said looking at her.

“Well, we just started last year, maybe we’re still in the honeymoon phase,” Betty said with a chuckle.

“No, we’re different. I know you would never talk to me or treat me the way Ron does Archie. And I’m no Archie, I’d do anything for you.” He suddenly lifted his head and looked at her. “What about you? If you were to get a proposal, how would you want it?” 

“You hinting at something?” she asked with a soft smile.

“Maybe,” he replied gruffly.

“Well, I want nothing like that. I don’t need frills and show, I just would want it to be me and you, all alone, something cute and sweet. Hell, if you came home from work and threw a ring at me on your way to the shower I’d probably be happy,” she said laughing.

“Well, I hope I’d be a little more cute than that,” Jughead said with a laugh. “Are you expecting a proposal from me at any point?” he asked teasingly.

“Well, you did promise to love me forever and that you wanted marriage and children, so yes, tough guy, I’m most definitely expecting one at some point.” Jughead grabbed her leg and pulled her toward him until she was straddling his lap.

“So, maybe we should book a trip to Paris?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.

“Were you not just paying attention?” she asked, biting his earlobe and tugging on his hair.

“Mmmmm I love it when you get feisty,” he murmured, his hand moving down her back and over her backside, squeezing and rubbing her against him. 

“You seem a little excited,” she whispered, brushing over him again. 

“Well, I’m the bathtub with a fucking sexy woman hovering over me, how can I not get excited,” he asked with a groan. His hand moved down between her legs and he found her hot and silky, a wetness that had nothing to do with the water. Betty pressed her mouth to his and slowly slid down on him and he groaned into her mouth. Betty pulled back and held his gaze as she moved on him. Gone was the shy blushing virgin and in her place a confident woman who knew how to please her man had emerged and she reveled in it. His hands moved up to her breasts, cupping them and leaning forward, taking a nipple in his mouth. She moaned and arched her body, her head falling back.

“You like that?” he asked against her breast, his tongue licking over her, moving across to the other one. 

“You know I do,” she moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders.

“What else do you like?” he said gruffly, his hands roaming over her legs and then teasing between her legs, teasing her clit. 

“Tha….that….” she gasped. 

Jughead dragged his tongue up to her neck and sucked on her skin there until a small mark appeared. He grinned arrogantly over marking her and took her mouth in a hot, tongue thrusting kiss. He gripped her hips and moved her roughly against him; she whimpered, picking up her pace. His fingers moved over her, stroking and minutes later they came together, groans echoing around the bathroom, water splashing on the floor. Betty sank down on him and sighed, her tongue licking his shoulder.

“Now I have to clean the floor,” she grumbled, her teeth nipping him.

“I’ll do it,” he said with a grin. She leaned back and smiled at him, then kissed him slowly, still after all this time, loving the taste and feel of his mouth. She shivered again and he chuckled against her lips.

“Wanna go again?” he teased.

“Yes,” she answered immediately. Jughead leaned back and looked at her and saw she was completely serious. His eyes darkened and he ran his hands over her back.

“Give me ten minutes,” he whispered, pulling her close. She gave him five.

 

July in New York was beautiful. Jughead had two weeks off and she booked off as well and was excited that her new boss let her do it. She had quit her job at Molly’s and had found a full time job with a Newspaper that printed papers and was also online. She wrote articles and edited and she absolutely loved it. Jughead moved up again at his job and was now a multiple site supervisor, spending most of his day driving from site to site and helping when needed. He got a truck as a bonus and no longer had to take the subway. He also got another writing job and was pretty happy with how things were going. Betty had read his book he had written and had thought it was fantastic and had encouraged him to try and get it published. Earlier that week, he had gotten a call from an interested party. They were both ecstatic. 

“So where are we going today?” she asked as he packed a bag full of water and snacks. He had been taking her to all his favorite summer places around New York and she loved every single one of them. 

“A park,” he said with a smile. She knew better than to ask any more, because Jughead was a fantastic secret keeper. She never got anything out of him when he was planning to surprise her.

He drove them to a beautiful park and they walked among the trees for a while and she gazed in wonder at the beautiful lake surrounded by rocks and flowers. He led her to a small break in the trees and spread a blanket on the ground and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. Through the break in the trees she saw a small waterfall cascading into the lake from on top of the rock wall. 

“This is so pretty. Is it natural or man made?”

“I’m not sure actually, but I always come here when I want to read in peace for an afternoon. It’s my favorite spot in the whole city.” 

“Why haven’t you brought me here yet?” she asked.

“Because it’s the most beautiful in summer and I wanted you to see it now.” She turned her head and kissed him and he kissed her back, slowly and thoroughly until she felt her body start to hum and she pulled away with a shaky breath.

“You always make me ache to have more,” she whispered. 

“You’re not the only one,” he muttered, shifting against her to ease the discomfort in his lap. She smiled and wiggled and he groaned, holding her still.

“Will it always be like this?” she wondered.

“Probably,” he said chuckling. “Maybe not as intense as time goes by, but I’ll always want you, I can promise you that.”

“How do you know?” she asked, as was her usual way.

“I just know,” he said softly. “I love you Betty, more than anything and I will always want you, no matter what.” 

“Even when I’m old and grey and all full of wrinkles?”

“Well, I’ll be in the same condition,” he said laughing. “I can’t wait to grow old with you.” Betty sat side ways across his lap so she could see him better.

“So, we’re going to grow old together then?” she asked happily.

“Do you want to?” he asked softly. Betty bit her lip, her mind going back to the day she asked if she was his girl. He had asked her if she wanted to be.

“Do you?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

“More than anything,” he said, his love shining in his eyes. He suddenly reached into the side pocket of the bag and pulled out a little black box and handed it to her. Betty gasped, her eyes flying to his. She took it, her fingers shaking and opened it. Her eyes filled with tears. A beautiful and brilliant large oval diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds sparkled up at her.

“Juggie?” she whispered, her eyes searching his, the tears spilling over.

“Will you marry me?” he asked in a whisper. She couldn’t speak and let out a sob as she nodded and threw her arms around his neck. She clung to him and he held her tightly until she stopped crying. She pulled back and her smile took his breath away. He took the ring and slipped it on her finger and she stared at it in awe.

‘It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, biting her lip.

“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” he said, using his fingers to wipe the tears off her face. “You really want to marry me? Stay forever with me? Be my wife?

“Yes, yes and yes!!” she exclaimed, kissing him all over his face. He laughed happily and caught her mouth with his, kissing her with all the love and passion in his heart.

 

Later that night, Jughead spent agonizing minutes teasing and tormenting her, his fingers curling, his tongue stroking and every time she about shattered, he pulled away and she was pulling on his hair and yelling his name.

“I swear if you don’t stop teasing me I’m going to take back my ‘yes’,” she threatened. Jughead pulled away again and came up over her.

“What was that?” he asked, stroking his arousal over her.

“I’m going to…..going to….” She gasped, lifting to him, already forgetting what she’d said. 

“That’s what I thought,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He moved back down and thrust his fingers inside her and latched his mouth to her and sucked and she splintered apart with a sob. He moved up quickly, thrusting inside her while she still spasmed and she cried out, arching off the bed. Jughead took her mouth and moved hard and heavy inside her and her nails dug into his back. He felt her body start to tighten again and he reached down and stroked his fingers against her. 

“Come for me,” he growled in her ear and she wrapped her legs around him, bucking against him. She was wild and eager and he felt her starting to shake and he stroked harder and a low moan started in her throat. “Come with me,” he urged, moving hard and fast and then he felt her tighten and clench, a loud cry falling from her mouth and she pulled his release from him and he gasped her name as he emptied himself inside her. They pressed together as they rode their release and her ‘I love you’s’ rang in his ears and he whispered them back against her mouth. 

Long moments later, they lay snuggled up in bed, her head on his chest and his arm around her. She made small circles with her hand, enjoying the glint of the ring in the faded light of the room. 

“I’m going to be your wife,” she whispered in awe.

“I’m going to be your husband,” he replied, his smile in his voice. 

“I’m so happy,” she said with a content sigh. He pulled her on top of him and she smiled down at him. “You happy you opened the door for me?” she asked, kissing his mouth.

“Every day,” he whispered. He took her mouth in a slow, lazy kiss full of love and promise. Jughead Jones was marrying Betty Cooper. ‘Happy’ was an understatement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, this is the end for Falling Into You....I've had so much fun with these two and i'm sad to let them go. Maybe I will re-visit them in the future :) I hope you loved them as much as I do and stay tuned for a brand new fic coming up!!!! I love you all! follow me on tumblr at lazydaizies


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